The Flow of Things
by Napkin the Spoony
Summary: Everyone could just die for all he cared. He was content to just live his life for himself and himself alone. Of course, that all changed when he met those three boys in the Gray Terminal. All because he picked up that stupid fruit, Naruto's entire world was about to come crashing down around him and send him on an adventure that he was sure he never wanted.
1. Prologue: Those Gray Days

The smell of rotten garbage wafted through the air as the morning sun's light struck against hill after hill of discarded trash that seemed to stretch on for miles upon miles. Dirty, ragged, tired people rose from their makeshift beds and homes and made their way to the tall, steel doors of a large city that was surrounded by an even taller brick wall. It wasn't long before the steel doors slid open and a small troop of guards, clothed in what appeared to be hazard suits and armed with guns, stepped forward with a large pile of garbage that was quickly thrown out into the gigantic junkyard. The crowd of filthy people watched on, like a pack of wolves eyeing their fallen prey, but dared not to take even a step closer to the armed guards. Soon enough, the trash was dumped out, the guards retreated back into the confines of the city walls, the steel doors shut…and the people descended upon the newly-tossed waste like it was an oasis in a desert.

It was just another morning for the people in the Gray Terminal, the dump of Goa. The Gray Terminal was the result of the Nobles of Goa's attempt to remove every single piece of trash from their city, including certain people, who were forced out of the city.

Not far away, on a large pile of trash, a pair of sapphire eyes watched in disgust as the people fought and argued over who owned what, who saw what first, and who owed who imaginary favors that had yet to be paid back. A small boy, with dirty, tanned skin and spiky blonde hair growled in anger. He turned away from the scene and began to make his way down the mountain of garbage, ignoring the cut that he received in his dirty white shirt from a jagged pipe that jutted out as he did so. Once he reached the bottom of the hill, he brushed his hands on his dark orange shorts and headed for the edge of the garbage dump that made up a man-made shoreline of trash with the adjacent ocean.

He ignored any and all people that he saw on his way to the water and, the second he had made it there, he leapt in without a care. He did not resurface until a few moments later—in his arms was a struggling fish. He tossed it on the banks and swam back.

It was just another morning for Uzumaki Naruto.

Wordlessly, Naruto threw his catch over his shoulder and headed for the small hut he had made for himself near the edge of the Gray Terminal, where the trash began to give way to the lush forest that made up the bordered a large section of the Gray Terminal. As he walked, he heard voices call out to him.

"Oi, brat, wanna share that with your elders?"

"Damn runt…always walkin' around like he's better than any of us!"

"Leave him be…the kid never talks. Probably too stupid to know how to."

"He's what? Seven? We can kick his ass and take it later, anyway."

Naruto glared straight ahead, never turning to look at anyone as he made his way to his hut, _'Bunch of pathetic bastards…'_

* * *

Once he reached his destination, he quickly ducked inside and set to work making a fire from a few sticks and pieces of paper that he had rummaged up a few days ago. Uncaringly, the boy stuck the fish on a stick and placed it over the fire to cook. Silently, he sat there and stared into the flames as he waited for his meal to finish. His hut wasn't anything special—it was something that anyone his age could make. A few sticks rammed into the ground, a cardboard roof with a hole in the top for smoke to be let out…it wasn't something that the seven-year-old was proud to call a home, but it worked and that was all that mattered.

He faintly heard the noises of the loud and obnoxious children that would play around the forest, as it was the only place they could get to that didn't smell horrible. He growled. It was no secret that Naruto hated the people—short and tall, young and old—that lived in the Gray Terminal. The people, in turn, hated him. Everyone hated each other, really. Everyone was a threat to everyone else's survival here. It was just the mentality that everyone grew.

"Oi, Naruto-kun~! C'mon out and play! Bring that fish out with ya, too! If you don't, I'm gonna tear this crappy little house down with you inside it, you shitty little brat!"

Naruto's anger spiked as he heard a voice call for him from just outside his hut. Getting to his feet, Naruto stepped outside the hut to find one of the dirty middle-aged men he had observed digging through the trash no less than a half-hour ago. The man grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, and licked his dried lips, "Just hand over the food, kid, and I won't hurt ya."

"…ff," Naruto muttered something incoherent, his head hung low and his fists clenched at his side.

"Eh? I couldn't hear ya, brat. Unless you wanna get killed, you had better have said that you'd move your ass and get the damn foo—"

The man was cut off when a foot lodged into his gut with surprisingly tremendous force, forcing the air from his lungs and causing him to fall onto his back. Naruto stood over the man, setting his foot back on the ground with a hate-filled glare, "I said fuck off!"

The man saw red. Sitting up and lunging for the boy, he was confused when he grabbed nothing but air. Behind him, he suddenly felt someone grab hold of one of his shoulders and the back of the tattered and filthy rag he called a shirt. A few moments later, he was tossed into the air and his head collided with the ground. Naruto stepped forward towards the man again. Kneeling down, he grabbed the man's throat. The man let out a low groan of pain as Naruto lifted his head to look him in the eye.

"See these?" Naruto pointed his face. More specifically, he pointed to one of the six whisker-like marks that were on his cheeks. Naruto shook that man violently, "These are the scars that the first bastard who mugged me left! Never again—he was the first and the last! If there's one thing I hate as much as those damn Nobles, it's you pathetic muggers! Tell all your filthy, shit-faced, pathetic friends that if they ever think to come near me, I'm going to kill them! I'm only leaving you alive to carry out the message, you hear me? Get lost, you son of a bitch!"

Naruto threw the man's head back to the ground and gave him one last kick in the stomach for good measure. Without bothering to listen to the man's reply, Naruto ducked back into his hut and grabbed the fish, which by now had finished cooking. He put out the fire and quietly ate his meal, taking some pleasure in the fact that, if the man was conscious, he was smart enough not to come looking for a rematch…at the moment, at least.

As he finished his meal, Naruto left his hut and headed out into the forest. The trees were almost as tall as the stone wall that separated the city of Goa and the Grey Terminal. The canopy of the forest practically blocked out the vast blue sky, except for a few sunny patches that managed to poke through the lush grass. Despite its beauty, many knew of the true dangers that lurked within the forest. Huge, rampaging animals roamed the woods, waiting for stupid and unsuspecting prey to wander by. Naruto walked in without a care in the world.

This had been his daily routine for over a year now. Naruto had been in the Gray Terminal for as long as he could remember, an orphan without anything but a name that he wasn't even sure was his—it was just the only name he knew when he was dumped at the steel gates of the city and, of course, he was denied access. He had since raised himself, getting by on scraps and the rare pity of the other people who called the Gray Terminal their home. That changed last year when, for the first time, a six-year-old Naruto found himself at knife point, forced to hand over a good set of rags he had found in the garbage. For good measure, the mugger had given him his six little reminders that the Gray Terminal had a quick and unforgiving side to everyone, even children.

Since then, determined not to be a victim a second time, Naruto had begun to train in the forest, fighting the wild animals to gain strength and skill. He had worked his way up, from the occasional fox or snake to wolves. Today, his goal was to kill his first bear. As he walked into the woods, Naruto gave a rare smile, however small it might have been. Quiet—it was something he rarely got to experience, and so he looked forward to it.

Quiet meant no people, and Naruto loved it when there was no one around.

'_People…they're either pathetic, back-stabbing bastards that only think of themselves or they're so caught up in how great they think they are that they ignore anyone they think is below them!' _Naruto frowned, _'I hate them all. It's better to just ignore everyone and live for yourself.'_

"Hey, Sabo, you around? Sabo!"

"Up here, Ace! And shush up! What if someone hears us?"

Naruto growled and cast a sideways glance to his left. Through the trees, he could see two boys, maybe a year or so older than he was, chatting away happily. One was dressed in all blue, with a black top hat and blue goggles. He had short blonde hair and a missing tooth that showed when he grinned—apparently, he was 'Sabo'. The other one wore a loose yellow muscle-shirt and red shorts, having black hair and freckles—that one was 'Ace'. Naruto rolled his eyes in disgust. The way they moved, talked, looked—it was clear in every way that the two weren't from the Gray Terminal.

'_Just another couple of brats who think it's cool to pretend to be tough and hang out at the Gray Terminal. Probably gonna go brag to their friends tomorrow…' _Naruto thought venomously. As he walked on, Ace spotted a patch of blond from the corner of his eye. He frowned.

"Oi, Sabo," Ace whispered to his friend, pointing towards Naruto, "You think that kid over there saw our treasure?"

Sabo turned to look at where his friend pointed and grinned, "Ace, my friend, you just saved us a ton of trouble! That's our target for today!"

Portgas D. Ace blinked in confusion. He had met his friend Sabo, a kid who had just started living in the Gray Terminal, just a few weeks ago and the pair had quickly bonded over a common interest—becoming pirates. To this means, they had begun to amass a secret treasure in hopes of one day buying a ship to set sail on, but were so far a ways off of success. They had become thieves—stealing from whoever had anything that was worth something. The blonde brat that had his friend grinning like an idiot? Just one look told Ace that he was definitely not the type of person who had something worth stealing.

Sabo, catching his friend's look, smirked, "Don't look at me like I'm crazy, Ace! You know who that is?"

"Um…clearly not," Ace frowned.

"That right there is Uzumaki Naruto! Rumors travel fast around the Gray Terminal, and the hottest rumor going around is that Naruto there found a really good treasure last month! I mean, _really good!_ I hear he's lookin' to sell it to get outta the Gray Terminal, but he short of just a tad bit enough to do it, so he's savin' it! We've just gotta get our hands on it if it's worth that much! This could shave years off our goal! Heck, we may even finish this year!" Sabo grinned.

Ace returned the gesture with a toothy grin of his own, "No way! What's the plan then? Knock him out and tie him up until he talks? We can't let this one go!"

"You're tellin' me!" Sabo chuckled, rubbing his hands together, "Way I see it, the quickest way to find it is to follow him! He's gotta have it in some kinda secret spot only he'd know! If we just tail him, he'll lead us right to it and then we can steal it right out from under his nose!"

"Nice!" Ace nodded, "Let's get to it, then, before we lose sight of him!"

* * *

'_Duck under the claw. Roll to the left. Hit the right hind leg…' _Naruto's mind ran almost mechanically as he went toe-to-toe with the large, snarling mammal. The bear he had found had to be twice the size of an adult male. Whereas any normal or sane person would have steered clear, Naruto had unknowingly shocked his two followers by throwing rocks at the thing. A few short moments later, Ace and Sabo watched, astonished as their target began to fight the bear and shocking them further was the fact that it looked like he was _winning._

"Sabo, what the hell, man? You didn't tell me the kid was crazy!" Ace whispered as he and Sabo watched on from a nearby bush. Naruto leapt back as the bear clawed the earth where he had once stood. The blond quickly rolled to the left side of the bear and kicked the bear's leg—hard. The bear let out a roar of pain before whipping around and biting at Naruto, who jumped back again.

"I didn't know!" Sabo whispered back, "Look, it's fine! He's gonna tire himself out fighting that thing and, even if he doesn't, he doesn't know we're here! We can just sneak up and knock him out or somethin'!"

"Why didn't we just do that in the first place?" Ace whispered back.

"Because we're supposed to be thieves, not warriors! He's fighting a bear, you idiot! I'm not taking that on!" Sabo replied.

"Excuse me…"

"Well, I'm definitely not gonna fight him, idiot!" Ace shouted back.

Sabo frowned, "Then let's just stick to the plan!"

"Hello?"

"It's a stupid plan! What if the damn bear kills him? What are we gonna do then?" Ace questioned.

"Are ya kidding me? Look at him go! He's kicking that thing's ass!" Sabo shot back.

"OI! DUMBASSES!"

Sabo and Ace blinked, coming out of their argument and turning to find Naruto glaring down at them from their crouched position, the bear laid out on the ground next to him. Ace and Sabo immediately broke out into a cold sweat at the sight of the dead carcass—the idea of running away suddenly became a very, very good-looking option to the pair. Naruto frowned, annoyance clear on his face, as he growled.

"Get lost. I can't focus with all your yapping, ya damn brats," Naruto sneered, turning around and walking over to the dead bear. Ace growled in turn.

"Brats? We're the same age as you! Heck, I think I'm a year older than you!" Ace roared, standing from the bush and walking out into the clearing that had been the makeshift arena for the brawl with the massive mammal. Sabo stared at his friend as if he had grown a second head.

"Don't care. You act like a brat, you're a brat. Beat it," Naruto shot back.

"Why you little—"

Sabo's hand clamped firmly over Ace's mouth as he held his partner back from trying to tackle the fellow blonde. Giving a nervous, toothy grin, Sabo quickly tried to disarm the situation, "Hehehe…sorry 'bout my stupid friend here, um…Naruto, right? We were just interested in what ya were doing out here…there's been a lot of rumors in the Gray Terminal about ya. Is it true that you have a huge treasure?"

"Treasure? If I had anything like that, I wouldn't be in the Gray Terminal, dumbass," Naruto frowned, "Leave."

Sabo and Ace shared a glance.

"Liar! C'mon, just tell us what it is! That's all we wanna know!" Ace shouted.

"Ace, calm down! If he doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to…" Sabo spoke, glancing at Naruto, "But we are curious, ya know."

"You guys deaf or are you just really stupid? I don't have anything worth stealing, so take a hike!" Naruto growled out, his anger starting to work its way into his voice. Naruto turned away and bent down to examine the bear. Ace and Sabo nodded, reaching into their pockets.

"Well, if you won't tell us, then we might as well just lea—now, Ace!" Sabo shouted, whipping out a small pipe from his pocket. Ace pulled out a similar pipe as the two leapt forward to strike at Naruto. Naruto's head turned around quickly to glare at them before he rolled away from the two, stopping a few feet away from the pair and falling into a fighting stance. Sabo and Ace smirked and pointed their weapons at Naruto.

"Sorry, Naruto, we really would've like to have just found the treasure and taken it, but looks like we'll have to beat it outta ya! Not too late to tell us where it is!" Sabo grinned.

Naruto sent a chilling glare their way, "Figures…you're just like the rest. I don't have any treasure—and it looks like I'm going have to beat that into your head."

Ace frowned, his and Sabo's composure put off a bit from the glare, "Big shot thinks he can take us both, huh? Sorry, Naruto, but this is for our dream! Let's go, Sabo!"

Ace charged forward, swinging his pipe down at Naruto, who simply stepped to the left to avoid it. Growling, Ace swiped horizontally—Naruto ducked under it. Ace swung right—Naruto stepped back to dodge. Frustrated, Ace began to swing wildly at Naruto, who swiftly dodged every blow. Naruto finally kicked up, striking Ace's hands and sending the pipe flying into the air. Ace's eyes traveled upward in surprise to see his weapon gone. When he looked back at Naruto, all he saw was a powerful left hook flying towards him. It struck dead on and sent him twirling to the ground.

Sabo, who had been sneaking up behind Naruto, swung his own pipe. Naruto twirled around and caught the weapon mid-swing before delivering a powerful punch to Sabo's gut, causing the boy to fall to his knees and spit up saliva, leaving his pipe in Naruto's hands. Naruto tossed it into the woods uncaringly as Ace recovered and charged at him.

"For a dream?" Naruto scowled, "Justify it however you want—you're still just like the rest."

"Just shut up and stay still!" Ace roared, ducking down and sweeping his leg out at Naruto's feet. Naruto leapt up over the sweep and kicked Ace in the forehead, sending the boy back onto the ground, sprawled out. Sabo stood up shakily and threw a punch at Naruto, who, once again, caught the punch. Gripping Sabo's arm, Naruto turned and tossed Sabo into the air. He landed next to Ace, groaning in pain as he landed face-first.

Naruto sighed, shook his head and walked off.

Ace growled as he pushed himself into a sitting position, "Just you wait, bastard! We'll find out where you hid your damn treasure and we'll beat you down too!"

He never got a reply—Naruto had disappeared into the forest.

Letting loose a sigh, Ace fell backwards onto his back to stare up at the canopy, "Sabo?"

Groaning, Sabo uttered a weak, "W…What?"

"You come up with crappy plans."

* * *

"You again?"

Naruto glared at the pair before him—Ace and Sabo hadn't waited more than a single day to come back and attack him again. He had woken up to the two calling his name, daring him to come outside and face the two like a man. The two boys were smirking, despite the bandages that were on their faces. In their hands, both held a long staff, shoddily put together from pipes similar to the ones they had used yesterday. Sabo pointed his staff at Naruto.

"If we can't beat you up close, we just need to increase our range!" Sabo declared boldly, "Bring it on, Naruto! This time, your treasure is ours for sure!"

"I already you that I don't have treasure…" Naruto grumbled, scratching the back of his head in irritation.

Ace smirked, "And we already told you that we'll beat it out of you if we have to!"

Naruto let out an annoyed groan as the two rushed forward, determination blazing in their eyes. Sighing, Naruto fell into a loose stance and quickly decided to make sure they got the message this time—leave him alone or you're gonna hurt. As Ace and Sabo gave their battle cries and leapt into the air, staffs swinging, Naruto made his first move.

It was finished in a matter of minutes.

The thieving duo was piled on top of each other, their staffs snapped in two at their sides. Naruto, completely untouched, snorted and walked off without another word. Ace, as he had done yesterday, coughed and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Tomorrow for sure, bastard! We'll kick your ass into next week!" Ace roared, shaking his fist in the air threateningly.

Ace and Sabo began to regularly take up the challenge of fighting Naruto once every day. Every day, whether rain, snow, storm, heat, the duo would seek out and challenge Naruto over the treasure that they were certain he had. Naruto would, in turn, remind them that he had no such treasure and would tell them to leave him be. They would fight, Naruto would emerge victorious, Ace would vow his revenge, and the cycle would repeat the next day. It became such a common occurrence that some people in the Gray Terminal began to watch the bouts out of either boredom or amusement, placing bets on whether or not it would finally be the day where Ace and Sabo stole a win. To everyone else, it looked like the three had formed some strange form of friendship—to Naruto, however, the two were just annoyances that bothered him every day. He hated seeing them, hated hearing them, and hated just about everything about them.

Two years had passed like that, and Naruto was now nine while Ace and Sabo became ten. The day was like any other—Naruto had awoken, caught his breakfast, cooked it, eaten it, went out into the woods to fight a bear or some other animal, and returned home before noon.

Ace and Sabo, for the first time since they had started to challenge him, hadn't shown up that day to fight him.

'_Finally decided to call it quits, huh? Good riddance…' _Naruto sighed, lying down in his hut.

"Oi, did you hear? That Ace stole from the Bluejam Pirates!"

"Eh? That little brat did? Doesn't he know about Porchemy? That guy's a psycho!"

Naruto rolled over on his side and glanced outside to observe the two women walking by. Either they didn't notice that he was listening in or they didn't really care—Naruto guessed it was probably the former—but either way, they were talking loud enough for probably half of the Gray Terminal to overhear. The pair came to a stop a few feet away from his home and began to dig around in the trash for any useful items.

"I know! Those Bluejam Pirates are brutal—all they've ever done is cause trouble since they started docking in the cove! I hear that Porchemy skins the heads of his victims!"

"Apparently, they've already caught one of those kids. Porchemy is trying to use him as bait to lure out the rest!"

"Poor bastards…even if they give back what they took, there's no way Porchemy won't kill them."

Naruto paused. Frowning for just a moment, Naruto rolled back over and pulled the old rag he used as a blanket over his head, closing his eyes in an attempt to take a quick catnap.

'_Figures those idiots would go and get themselves killed…well, it's not my problem.'_

* * *

Ace and Sabo gulped as they stared intently at the wooden shack before them. They stood in an abandoned area of the Gray Terminal, gripping their staffs tightly in their hands. From the shack, they could hear the sounds of crying and what sounded like fists colliding with flesh—hard. A pang of guilt reverberated in the both of them as they heard a coarse, weak voice cry out for help. Behind them, the setting sun mixed in with the twilight sky. Sabo took a momentary glance at Ace before his eyes turned back to the shed.

"I…If we go in there, Bluejam's not gonna just let this go. Porchemy's in there, too…we might really die," Sabo spoke.

Ace merely nodded.

"Even if we just grab Luffy and run…Bluejam will hunt us down," Sabo continued.

Ace nodded again, this time a bit more hesitantly.

"That's right. No matter what you do, you'll probably be killed by the Bluejam Pirates."

Ace and Sabo turned to find Naruto approaching behind them. Their eyes widened.

"N-Naruto? What are you doing here?" Sabo shouted in surprise.

Ace frowned, quickly overcoming his shock, "Get out of here, Naruto. This doesn't concern you."

Naruto ignored the both of them, "I won't pretend to know what's going on here—I thought I was going to be rescuing you two bastards. Whatever is going on in there, though, I'm assuming you two dragged someone else into your mess. Now they're in there, going through hell because of you. They're waiting for you to save them, but you're out here, too afraid to take a step closer."

Ace glared at Naruto but said nothing. Naruto stepped pass the boys, never looking at either of them. Sabo frowned, "H-Hey, what are you—"

"If you aren't going in, then I will."

Naruto stepped closer to the shack, cracking his knuckles as he did. The wooden wall looked weak from age and rot—one good kick could probably get him inside the building without losing the element of surprise that the front door would ditch. The Bluejam Pirates had begun to gain notoriety over the past year, when they began to dock in the cove of the Gray Terminal as a hideout. Everyone knew of their brutality…Naruto sighed.

'_I suppose I can't blame them for being afraid…I'm a bit shaken myself…' _Naruto frowned, glancing down at his right hand. It was trembling slightly. Shaking his head and steeling his nerves, Naruto was about to rush the wall. He stopped, however, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, his gaze met the determined eyes of both Ace and Sabo.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing? Thinking you can steal all the glory while we warm up?" Ace spoke.

Sabo smirked, "Yeah, we were just stretchin'! Don't wanna pull something in the middle of kicking ass, right?"

Naruto looked at the pair, a rare smirk finding its way onto his face, "Whatever. Just don't chicken out and run off on me, understand?"

The three boys turned to glare at the wall before charging at it, each of them leaping up into a kick directed at the obstacle. As their feet collided with the wood, they smirked as they felt the wall give way to their combined strength. Soon enough, the trio had burst into the room, their adrenaline pumping through their veins.

"STOP IT!"

* * *

He ran a hand through his greasy black hair as he snarled in frustration and disgust. On the ground before him lay Porchemy, too beaten to even move, let alone stand. He scratched his beard irritably as he observed Porchemy in silence. The large, muscle-bound man was covered in bruises, his long silver hair caked in dried blood. Three brats. Three stupid, fucking little brats had brought down a member of his crew. His eyes snapped angrily to the large cutlass that lay next to the man and he snarled once more. His man was armed, no less…

"I've heard about today's little turn of events, Porchemy…" he muttered, "You're pathetic."

Weakly, Porchemy lifted his head, "C-Captain, I'm sorry…"

"Shut up. Don't look at me. I don't want to see your disgusting face again," he pulled out his flintlock, cocked the weapon, took aim, and fired without another word.

* * *

"Dammit, Ace, I had Luffy! We coulda just ran off! But no, you had to be a tough guy and stuck around to fight!" Sabo snapped, crossing his arms—both of which were covered in white bandages—and glaring at his partner, "He had a sword!"

Ace, who was also covered in bandages from head to toe, said nothing, opting to glare at Luffy, who was crying his eyes out next to Naruto. It was kind of off-putting for Ace…he had never seen Naruto hurt before. They had fought countless times before, but he had never so much as punched the blonde. Naruto had taken a good slash to the chest, which was why his torso was completely wrapped in white. Naruto, rather than comment, simply rubbed Luffy's head comfortingly—the first nice gesture that Ace had ever seen Naruto do.

"Damn…Bluejam's never gonna forgive us! He's gonna be after our butts!" Sabo sighed.

"I…I thought I was gonna die!" Luffy cried out.

"Shut up! How long are you gonna cry?" Ace snapped venomously, "You just a damn crybaby!"

Naruto sent a heated glare at Ace as Luffy gave a few tearful hiccups and began to breathe deeply in an attempt to calm himself and prove the older boy wrong.

"Pretty big talk coming from someone who was too scared to even go into the shack alone! If I hadn't shown up, you would of just end up leaving this kid to die!" Naruto growled, "Some friend you turned out to be!"

Ace returned the glare, "I ain't his damn friend, bastard!"

"The kid doesn't seem to agree," Naruto muttered, "Either way, the kid was taking the brunt of your mistake! Quit being such a—huh?"

Naruto felt a tug at the hem of his shirt. Glancing down, he met the tearful gaze of Luffy, clutching weakly onto the worn white rag. Luffy was just a kid—a seven-year-old who probably hadn't seen violence or been on the receiving end of anything like that in his life. Naruto had busted into the place to find him hanging in chains, dripping with blood and tears. The fact that he was doing so well was a miracle in Naruto's opinion and certainly gave the blonde some grudgingly-earned respect for the kid.

Now that Naruto looked at him, he did see a small resemblance to Ace, but it was nothing that would make him say they were related or anything, just small things such as the black hair, the tanned skin, the same eyes—even if Luffy's were much softer than Ace's. The kid wore a simple muscle-shirt and shorts, much like his Ace, but the large straw hat was the thing that stuck out on the boy.

"L…Luffy…"

Naruto blinked, "What?"

"M…My name's Luffy, not 'kid'…and t-thank you for saving me…"

"…Okay, Luffy. Don't mention it," Naruto sighed, rubbing the boy's head once more and glaring at Ace, "If you want someone to be angry with, be angry with yourself for letting Luffy get caught up in your mess, dumbass."

"Since when were you supposed to be a mother, bastard?" Ace was about to lunge at Naruto, but Sabo held him back.

"Alright, alright, enough, you idiots! Geez…at this rate, you two will end up killing each other for Bluejam!" Sabo sighed, turning to Naruto, "Thanks for the help, though. It's appreciated—by me, at least."

Naruto nodded stiffly, turning to head out, "Whatever—I just couldn't stand all the people talking about it. I couldn't get to sleep with all the noise."

As Naruto was walking off, Sabo frowned and glanced around the small group. Sabo's eyes stopped at Luffy's straw hat and the red bandana that Ace had on as Sabo's hands reached up to touch his own black hat. Plucking the hat from his head, Sabo grinned as Ace looked at him in confusion.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Naruto turned, only to get smacked in the face by something. Ignoring Ace's snickers and Luffy's laughs, Naruto rubbed his forehead, glaring at Sabo in annoyance, who merely chuckled sheepishly. Naruto bent down and picked up the offending object—Sabo's blue goggles, which normally rested on his hat. Looking at them in confusion, Naruto sent a questioning gaze towards their owner. Sabo grinned.

"Figured that you might as well take 'em. After all, you're the only one without something cool to wear on that dome of yours!" Sabo smirked.

Naruto gave the boy a flat stare, but reached up and slowly placed them on his head, "I don't get you idiots sometimes…"

With that Naruto, walked off without another word.

* * *

Naruto truly began to pick up in his training after his encounter with the Bluejam Pirates, figuring that they would come for him one day. He began to challenge even tougher foes that the forest had to offer—powerful alligators and giant tigers. Ace and Sabo had stopped challenging him constantly and had instead taken to training their own bodies as well, fighting against both wild animals and each other. Luffy, who had become a good friend of both Ace and Sabo, also trained with the pair. Occasionally, Naruto would stumble upon the group during his own training. He would reluctantly join the group at their request and spend the day sparring with them.

"C'mon Ace, I got half my dinner riding on this match!" Sabo cheered.

Luffy grinned, "Let's go, Naruto!"

The two were sitting off on the sidelines of a clearing that they constantly sparred in. Naruto had stumbled out of the forest as they had shown up and Ace had immediately challenged Naruto, as he normally did. Ace was the only one who could match up against Naruto—Sabo fell just a bit short and Luffy was no match for anyone in the group, despite his Akuma no Mi powers.

Naruto ducked under the right hook that Ace had thrown at him, throwing an uppercut in return. Ace leapt back to avoid it, frowning as he saw Naruto rush him. Naruto and Ace began to launch a flurry of blows, with the two blocking anything thrown at them and returning with a punch or kick. Naruto dropped down as his leg shot out and he swept Ace's legs out from under him. Ace fell to the ground and quickly rolled to the side to avoid Naruto stomping on him. The two stood still, panting and glaring at each other.

"Not bad, Naruto…" Ace muttered, "But I've been catching up to you. Today's the day I take my first victory!"

Naruto smirked, "C'mon then, Ace. Stop talking and fight."

Ace charged forward, letting loose a roar as he did so. Naruto stayed in place, readying himself. As Ace drew near, Naruto ducked low and swept again. This time, Ace jumped into the air to avoid Naruto's leg and brought his own leg down onto Naruto's shoulder. The blow connected, causing Ace to smirk, only for that smirk to vanish when he realized that Naruto seemed unaffected by his attack. Naruto grabbed Ace's leg and reached up to grab the collar of his shirt. Whipping around, Naruto threw Ace into a nearby tree, with Ace's back colliding with the hard surface in a loud and dull thud.

Ace fell to the ground, groaning as he nursed his back.

"Nice try, Ace," Naruto grinned, reaching up and adjusting his goggles, cringing a little as he moved the arm that Ace had kicked. Naruto had begun to warm up to the three since Luffy had arrived. Though he was still cold and distant to anyone else, around the trio, Naruto found that he could smile.

"Yeah! You owe me half your dinner tonight, Sabo!" Luffy cheered.

Sabo sighed, "Dang it, Ace, you almost had him!"

"Oi! If you think it's so easy, why don't you fight him, Sabo?" Ace grumbled as he sat up.

Sabo laughed, "I'm not an idiot like you! There's no way I'm fighting him!"

Naruto chuckled as he walked back towards the trees, "Right, well, have fun with that. I'm off."

Luffy frowned, "Aw, c'mon, Naruto! Stick around a bit longer! I wanna fight you too!"

"Sorry, Luffy, but unlike you lazy bums, I have to both hunt and cook my own food—I don't skip out on paying in restaurants in town. Sun's setting, too, so you guys might want to head home before the tougher animals start coming out," Naruto waved them goodbye over his shoulder as he walked on. The trio chorused their goodbyes and took his advice, heading back through the forest and down the mountain. By the time Naruto made it home, it was already nightfall. Drowsily, Naruto decided that it was too bothersome and he would just go to bed without dinner that night.

Ducking down into his hut, Naruto removed the goggles that Sabo had given him and pulled a rag over his body, gently closing his eyes and allowing sleep to take him.

* * *

"—ake up! N-Naruto, you gotta w-w-wake up!"

"Hn?" Naruto's eyes cracked open to see Luffy hovering over him, shaking his body. Naruto's groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He turned to look at Luffy, still half-asleep. He was woken up completely a second later, when he noticed the tears in Luffy's eyes. Naruto grasped Luffy's shoulders.

"Luffy," Naruto spoke in a clam and even voice, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"S-Sabo…!" Luffy cried.

Naruto frowned, "What about Sabo? Is he hurt? Where's Ace?"

"T-The Nobles…" Luffy hiccupped, "T-They took Sabo!"

* * *

Ace punched the tree for the five-hundred and fifty-first time—he'd been keeping count. By now, his knuckles were sore and bleeding and the bark on the tree was fading and chipping off with each punch. He had been there all day, doing nothing but simple exercises. Luffy had run off somewhere, probably back down the mountain to Dadan's. Ace hadn't even considered going home yet. He also hadn't considered talking to Naruto, who was glaring at him from the other side of their usual clearing.

He had been there for a half-hour now.

Neither had said anything.

It was Ace that had decided to break the silence, "…You probably blame me, right? I was right there…and I couldn't stop them from taking him."

Naruto was silent.

Ace punched the tree again, "I was…beaten and pinned by those pirates that bastard had with him. That fucking Noble hired the Bluejam Pirates to get Sabo...I was too weak to stop him."

He got no response.

"I…should've been stronger. I should've stopped Sabo from going! I should've chased after them, caught them at the gates and rescued Sabo!" Ace roared, punching the tree harder and harder, "I could've saved him!"

Silence.

"But…then, that man…Sabo's father…he threatened Luffy and I. He told Sabo that he would have us arrested and killed if Sabo didn't come with him…and Sabo…that idiot! Sabo went with him! Just like that!"

Ace let out a frustrated growl—at this point, he wished Naruto would scream at him, hit him, tell him how pathetic he was for just letting Sabo go like that…anything! Anything stand there and be completely quiet!

"Bluejam…he told us that if Sabo was a Noble, it was better he go home! He said that Sabo went because it was what he really wanted, deep down inside!" Ace yelled, "He said that it's…that it's best to just forget about Sabo!"

"From now on, don't come to the Gray Terminal. You and Luffy should just stay away."

Ace's head turned so fast that he was sure he had almost gotten whiplash. Naruto was leaving, heading back into the forestation towards the Gray Terminal. Growling, Ace ran after him to catch up to Naruto.

"That's it then?" Ace roared, "You don't want to see me or Luffy again, is that it? I fuck up and Luffy's dead to you?"

"Stay out of the Gray Terminal!" Naruto snapped back, never turning around to face Ace.

"You blame me, don't you? It's my fault, right?" Ace pushed, "Why don't you just say it to my face, bastard?"

"Stay away from the Gray Terminal!"

"Fight me!" Ace suddenly demanded, reaching up to Naruto and grabbing his arm, "If you beat me, I'll stay away! If you lose, then help me rescue Sabo!"

"Rescue him from what? He chose to be where he is now!" Naruto wretched his arm out of Ace's grip, "I won't fight you and I'm not giving you an option on this—stay away from the Gray Terminal! Stay out of Goa! Just head back down the mountain and stay there!"

Ace growled in frustration, throwing a fist aimed at Naruto's head, "I don't take orders from you, bastard! Fight me!"

To Ace's surprise, Naruto did nothing to dodge or block his attack. His fist collided with Naruto's cheek, forcing his friend to stumble back a few steps. Naruto rubbed his cheek; his head hung low as Ace glared at him. Neither of them moved nor spoke for what felt like hours, though Ace knew it was only minutes. Finally, Naruto spoke up, lifting his head to glare at Ace.

"You done?" Naruto questioned.

Just as Ace was about to shout again, Naruto's fist collided with his face. Ace was knocked to the ground, clutching a bloody nose as Naruto stood over him, glaring down at him with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"…Sabo chose to go with that man to protect you and Luffy. If you guys keep coming to the Gray Terminal, you're just going to get hurt! Just forget about the Gray Terminal!" Naruto spoke, his voice surprisingly calm and quiet, "Stay away."

Ace stared at Naruto as he walked off. He remained there, unmoving until nightfall finally came. As the moon showered the forest in a dim light, Ace pushed himself off the ground, turned round, and headed back down the mountain path.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Naruto had not seen Luffy or Ace the next day or the day after that. He had gone about his normal day, catching breakfast and training out in the forest alone. By the time he began to head home, the sun was setting and the "nightlife" of the Gray Terminal began to start up—muggers that waited until people slept to try and rob them blind. Naruto, who normally would have felt a burning anger for the thieves, found that he couldn't manage the emotion. He felt…

'_Empty…' _Naruto sighed, thinking briefly of his friends for two years now and of his friend of half a year, before quietly reminding himself, "It's for the best…"

"Oi, did you hear? A _Tenryuubito _is coming tomorrow! An actual _Tenryuubito_!"

"Bah! What's it matter? They sure as hell ain't comin' to see us!"

Naruto listened in with only a sliver of interest, ignoring the two gossipers that crossed his path to his home. That had been all that anyone had talked about for a month now. Apparently, a Tenryuubito—the World Nobles—was coming to survey Goa tomorrow as a part of a world-tour sort of deal. Other than that, Naruto didn't know and he didn't care—the Tenryuubito could just go die as far as he was concerned.

"Fool! Don't you know the huge celebration that'll be goin' on in the city? Think of how great the trash is gonna be for the next few days, hell, maybe even weeks!"

The gossipers walked out of earshot as Naruto continued on his way to home. As his hut came into view, he gave a heavy sigh, determined to simply go to sleep and hope that tomorrow was somehow better. Scratching the back of his head, Naruto gave another sigh.

"Oi, kid, how's about you come over here and play with us a bit? Bring whatever valuables you got…we'll be keepin' them safe from now on for you."

Naruto let out a frustrated growl as he heard the voice sound from behind him, "You caught me on the wrong day, you son of a bi—"

As he turned around, Naruto's words caught in his throat. Behind him were a group of fifteen men, each of them bearing a familiar tattoo…the jolly-roger of the Bluejam Pirates. Naruto suddenly became very tense as he eyed the large swords and multiple pistols the men had brought with them. As he took a few careful and slow steps back, Naruto glared at the man that stood at the head of the crew. He was a tall, large man with deeply tanned skin and coal-black eyes. His greasy black hair flowed down past his neck, and his hands were shoved deeply into the pockets of his dark green pants. He wore, along with them, a tan shirt with suspenders and draped a dark blue captain's jacket over his shoulders.

"…Captain Bluejam?" Naruto frowned.

The man grinned and pulled a flintlock from his pocket, "The one and only."

Naruto's eyes caught the gun before turning up to look Bluejam in the eye, "…I don't suppose you're just going on a leisurely stroll with your crew?"

"Well, that's one way to put it," Bluejam shrugged, donning a crooked grin, "It's just gonna end with you being very, very hurt and us getting very, very rich. Rumors travel fast round these parts, my boy…if I recall, they seem to say that your friends stole from my crew…and then you helped them beat the crap outta some of my men."

Naruto flinched, tightening his hands into fists. Bluejam laughed.

"I don't really care about that, though. I like strong people—I doesn't matter how old you are. If those guys got beat, they were weak and useless," Bluejam muttered, "I care about money, though. I lost out on quite a bit of it because of you and your friends. Now, it's time to pay the piper, brat."

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have goldmines to pay you with, buddy," Naruto growled out.

"Not according to the other rumors I've heard," Bluejam shot back with a smirk, "I hear you got yourself quite the hidden treasure—one that sells for quite the price, if I'm not mistaken. Plenty enough to pay us back with interest! Now…why don't you be a good boy and fetch that little treasure of yours? You won't get hurt if you do."

"I'll tell you what I told the other fifty people that came trying to steal from me," Naruto snarled, "I don't have any fucking treasure. Leave me alone."

As Naruto tore his eyes from Bluejam to turn away, he heard the click of the flintlock's hammer being pulled back. Growling, Naruto froze.

"I heard that you've been trying to save that treasure to buy your way out of the Gray Terminal and the Kingdom of Goa all together…sounds like it's worth quite the bit. So, I was wondering to myself one day…what could possibly be worth that much? What great treasure could he have found in this shitty place?" Bluejam shrugged to himself, his flintlock pointed at Naruto's head, "That's when I figured it out. You lucked out big time, you know that? Finding an Akuma no Mi amongst the rubbish of the Gray Terminal…where is it, brat? Where's the fruit?"

"I don't have anything like that!" Naruto growled out, "I've never even seen an Akuma no Mi!"

"Oh…I see, I see…" Bluejam motioned for his men, "Well, maybe you'll be more inclined to talk after my buddies here rough you up a tad."

Naruto glared, falling into a fighting stance as he saw the men pull out their weapons and begin to step forward. He frowned as he heard the mad cackling of Bluejam, who waved his gun back and forth in the air mockingly.

"Not so fast there, brat," Bluejam smirked, "I want to do this the easy way, so don't fight back to much. I'm known throughout the East Blue for my skill with guns…I can easily poke a hole in your head with a bullet without killing you. You're gonna be a good boy, so behave and take your beating until you want to talk."

Naruto directed a seething glare at Bluejam, who merely pointed his flintlock at the boy, giving Naruto a look that clearly dared the boy to test his skills. Hesitantly, Naruto lowered his arms and braced himself as the men marched forward, each of the men letting out a dark chuckle as they got closer and closer.

* * *

"Well, I gotta admit it, brat, I didn't think you'd handle yourself this well. I'm impressed," Bluejam muttered, kicking Naruto in the stomach. Naruto gasped as the air left his lungs, coughing up a mixture of saliva and blood. The stars were poking out in the night's sky now, and most of the people of Gray Terminal had retired for the night…not that it mattered, Naruto supposed, since none of them would help him anyway. He lay in a broken heap, battered and bruised, caked in his own dried blood that flowed from the multiple cuts that ran along his body.

If he moved, he would feel a searing pain in his chest, causing him to believe that at least one or two ribs may have been bruised or, worse yet, broken. Glancing at his quivering hand, Naruto noted that three of his fingers were a dark color and bent in disgusting ways. He couldn't move them, and the pain that each digit caused him let him confirm the obvious—they were broken. Naruto quivered in pain as Bluejam nudged him with his foot, a thin layer of sweat glossing his dirty skin. Weakly, he glared up at Bluejam.

"…I-I…" Naruto wheezed out, "…don't have any A-Akuma n—"

Naruto was silenced as Bluejam kicked him once more, sending him rolling down a heap of garbage. Bluejam and his crew chuckled as he heard Naruto's cry of pain.

"I really didn't want to use this, kid…I wanted it to be a surprise, but it looks like I'll have to go and spoil it. Do you know what time it is?" Bluejam grinned, motioning for his men to hand him something. One of the Bluejam Pirates tossed Bluejam a small box, which the man caught expertly and held in the palm of his hand towards Naruto, "It's an hour until midnight, brat. As soon as the clock strikes midnight, the Gray Terminal's gonna disappear. It's all gonna go up in smoke, brat, and everyone in it is gonna die. We tricked your little friends, Luffy and Ace, to help us plant these bombs. The Gray Terminal will die tonight!"

"…L…L-Liar…! L-Luffy and Ace…they wouldn't have…c-come back here," Naruto groaned out.

"Oh, it was very easy to convince them. We found them out in the forest, moping around all down and blue. I told them, in exchange for helping us with a little job, we wouldn't beat the crap out of you and them for hurting my crew and stealing my money. They didn't care so much about themselves, but when I mentioned your name…oh, you shoulda seen them jump at the chance to help me! Of course, they had no idea that they were killing everyone else!" Bluejam cackled, "But I'm a merciful man, you know? Tell me where the fruit is…and I might reconsider blowing this shitty place sky-high."

The sound of Naruto's panting and groans of pain met Bluejam's ears.

"I'm giving you this offer once. You know what's gonna happen, don't you? As soon as this place lights up, everyone will see it from miles away…even down the mountain. Little Ace and Luffy…they'll just be oh-so concerned for their dear friend Naruto…they'll come running without a second thought. They'll get caught up in the flames, you know. They'll burn to death. So, it's your choice…either give us the fruit or your friends and everyone in the Gray Terminal will die."

Silence met his ears. For a few moments, no one spoke. No one moved. Bluejam and Naruto simply looked into each other's eyes, testing each other.

"…T-The fruit…i-it's in a thrown o-out, worm eaten chest…buried u-under the h-huge oak tree where the coast meets the f-forest…Y-You'll know it w-when you find it. T…There's a s-scarecrow made of t-trash r-right where it's b-buried…" Naruto muttered, cringing as he did so. Bluejam grinned, turning to his men.

"Alright, you two stay with the brat. If he's lying, we'll be teaching him a good lesson when we get back, so make sure he doesn't go anywhere," Bluejam spoke as he pointed at two of his men. He then motioned for the rest of them to follow him as he turned and walked off, "The rest of you head back to the ship and grab some shovels. We'll be done in the hour, just enough time for us to blow this place to hell!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open at that, his anger and adrenaline fueling his will to stand up, though all he could manage was to push himself into a sitting position, "Y-You fucking bastard! You promised you wouldn't do it!"

"Eh? Sorry, brat, but I don't have a choice in the matter. It's a paid job, you see, and I always finish my work," Bluejam gave Naruto a sickening grin before chuckling darkly, "Take a good look at this place, kid, because it won't be here to see the sun rise."

Bluejam and most of his crew disappeared soon over the tops of the man-made dunes of garbage, leaving behind the two crew members and a broken and despair-ridden Naruto. Naruto cursed, thinking back to the day he had found that damn fruit. He was fishing, just like any other day—a huge storm had ran rampant the other night, and that always brought out the biggest and tastiest fishes out from the deeper waters.

He had noticed it drifting by, harmlessly and innocently splashing in the waters of the ocean—a cyan-colored fruit, with a strange, raindrop-like shape drifted in front of him. He had been enticed by the intricate and captivating wave-like pattern that ran over the skin of the fruit. It wasn't until he had it in his hands did he realize what he was holding. He had heard rumors of the Akuma no Mi before—drunken men, raving about how they would one day find one and use its powers to rise from the Gray Terminal to beat down the Nobles that looked down on them or people raving about how they would sell the first one they came across and live in the lap of luxury for the rest of their days.

He had hidden it, determined to one day find a buyer for it and leave the Kingdom of Goa…but he knew the second he brought it out into town to sell, he would have everyone after him for the money he earned. He didn't know what to do, so he hid it…soon after, he had become friends with Ace, Sabo, and Luffy. His dreams of leaving slowly faded from his memories as he spent the days away, training and spending time with the trio.

Naruto drew himself out of his thoughts and shakily reached up to touch the goggles that had fallen around his neck during his beating. He glanced over at the two Bluejam Pirates—they weren't even watching him, probably figuring that he would be unconscious or too beat to even move. Glaring and mustering what little energy he had left, Naruto quietly began to drag himself to the cover of a particularly large stack of junk.

Once behind it, he paused to listen and hear if the pirates had noticed him.

"I say good riddance. The bastards in this place have been nothing but fucking trouble!"

"You said it. Other town's we went to ran away, afraid at the mere sight of us! We pick the one hideout where the people try to rob you back! Not that there's much to steal, anyway…"

'_Good,' _Naruto pushed himself off the ground, ignoring the painful aches of his body ordering him to stop and lay down. Quietly yet quickly—or as quickly as he could manage in his current state—he ran off in the direction opposite of where he had pointed Bluejam.

* * *

'…_I…hate this place!'_

His hands worked tirelessly, digging away handful after handful of dirt as his broken fingers seared in pain. The moonlight showered down on him, providing him with the little light that he needed to find his true hiding spot—a small, dead bush that was under the shade of a large oak tree—it was the farthest point in the Gray Terminal from the ocean, a place no one ever went to, as many relied on the ocean for food if they could find none in the trash.

'_I hate the people that live here! The people who hurt each other to survive like dogs!'_

He could feel blood start to leak out from under his fingernails. His arms and hands ached—his whole body was wracked with pain. He did not stop once, not even for a moment.

'_But this is the place where I raised myself! This is the place where I have lived and clawed out such a stupid, crappy life for myself!'_

His pace only increased as he scraped against something in the dirt, rock and clay.

'_This is the place I met Ace! The place I met Sabo! The place I met Luffy!'_

A few more handfuls of earth were tossed over his shoulder. He bent down and lifted an object in his hand—a small, worn and dirt-covered shoebox that he had found among the trash that fateful day. Ripping open the lid and tossing it to the side uncaringly, he reached inside and pulled out its contents.

'_This is my home, damn it! I won't let it or its people be killed! Even if I have to live in this crappy place for the rest of my life…'_

His hands trembled as he looked down at the fruit…the same cyan color, the same intricate wave-like pattern, the same raindrop shape…

'_I will protect it, even if I have to sell my soul to the devil!'_

Naruto brought the fruit to his mouth. His lips quivered and he trembled in fear of what he was about to attempt. He paused, turning to look out at the Gray Terminal, tears stinging at his eyes—he probably only had a half-hour left. Giving one final, bitter laugh, Naruto steeled his nerves.

"Knowing my luck, I bet it tastes like crap…"

* * *

By now, Bluejam must have come back to where he had left Naruto. He had probably killed the two pirates he'd left with him for failing, and Naruto figured that he was probably looking for him. It was for that reason that Naruto had opted to take the long way around the Gray Terminal to reach his goal. If he had to guess, it had already been at least twenty minutes since he had eaten the Akuma no Mi—ten minutes left.

'_How do I even use my power? What power did I even get from that stupid fruit?' _Naruto growled in frustration as he tried to figure out exactly what he was going to do outside of a basic idea—he didn't have much time left to do it, either. He heard a few people that had yet to fall asleep call out to him, questioning where he was going and why he was in such a rush, but he paid them no mind, as he couldn't afford the time to.

His legs burned and his chest ached, his breath coming out in labored wheezes as his stomach did flips in his belly, nausea overtaking him.

'_Damn…' _Naruto scowled as the world around him began to blur, though he never once stopped his running. He could still make out his goal in the distance, coming ever-so closer with each step he took. Any other day, the mere sight of it would have disgusted him, reminding him of the world he hated so much…now, he had thought that it never looked so beautiful.

The large, steel doors that led to Goa.

'_I can't stop Bluejam…not alone…' _Naruto panted, _'But if I tell the king…even if he's a rotten Noble, it's still his kingdom, dammit! He's got to be able to do something! At the very least, he could call for the gates to be opened and let the people in while the guards work to put out the fire!'_

In the back of his mind, Naruto grew a nagging fear that Bluejam would appear before the gates, ready to kill him and set fire to the Gray Terminal.

'_Well, I ate that Akuma no Mi for a reason! If Bluejam gets in my way, I'll use its power to kick his ass!' _Naruto declared mentally. As he drew closer, he began to question how he would get the doors open. Were guards still manning them? If so, could he just pound away at the door or scream his lungs out to get them to open up? How much time was left until midnight? Would he make it?

These questions plagued Naruto's mind as he ran and ran, getting closer and closer to the doors. He almost tripped in shock and surprise when he got within just a few feet of the doors…he heard creaking, the sound of large gears moving and clanking against each other. The doors began to bulge out and split from each other, slowly pushing outwards.

The doors were opening.

Naruto's heart soared and his grin of relief threaten to split his face as he watched a small platoon of about twenty guards, donned in their normal hazard suits and carrying their normal rifles, stepped out in uniform from behind the doors. Naruto's spirits picked up as did his energy as he rushed to the first guard he could reach, running faster than he thought his small, scrawny legs could carry him. As he reached the guard, he collapsed to his knees in a sweating, bleeding, tired, panting mess.

It didn't matter though, not to him.

'_I made it!' _Naruto grinned despite his aching body practically screaming in agony with pain. Naruto reached out and grabbed the guard's leg, catching his breath before he managed to speak out to get his message across.

"…P-P-Pl…Please…t-there's g-going t-t-to be a…a…a," Naruto panted, struggling to get his warning out, "…a f-fire! T-T-Tell the…king that…the Gray T-Terminal's in danger!"

The guards turned to each other, there confusion evident in their body language. The guard that Naruto had reached out to leaned down, lifting Naruto's head to look him in the eye.

"Who told you that, boy? How do you know this?" the guard questioned.

"I…I-I w-was to-told by—"

"No one outside of Goa's High Town was supposed to know about it."

Naruto's heart dropped.

The large clock-tower in town rang out, sounding as midnight arrived. Behind him, Naruto felt a wave of stinging, mocking heat strike his back as the night's sky lit up and several huge explosions sounded out, the ground shaking from their force. The screams of the people were instantaneous. Plumes of smoke towered up and into the sky, while the flames cackled and danced amongst the hills of garbage. Despite the sudden surging heat, Naruto felt the cold sensation of dreadful realization and a sense of betrayal washed over him as he watched a few of the guards laugh at the scene before them. Slowly, the large steel doors closed, blocking Naruto's image of a quiet and sleepy, peaceful town behind them.

The Gray Terminal was burning.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter that you found out as long as the plan went off without a hitch," the guard said, readying his rifle. The guard pointed the gun down at Naruto's head, his uncaring eyes shining beneath the mask he wore, "Sorry, brat, but you're going to have to die now."

"W-What…?" Naruto muttered meekly, tears surging to his eyes.

"You're about to die, so I guess I might as well explain," the guard sighed, "You're probably too stupid to understand, though, being raised here. The Nobles decided to remove Goa's flaws so that the Tenryuubito would be impressed with the kingdom and, in turn, the kingdom would become even richer and more popular. The Gray Terminal was decided unanimously to be burned up—it's been planned for months now."

"Stop fucking around!" Naruto roared, his voice tired and his throat raw but his anger fueling his adrenaline, "These are people of the Kingdom of Goa! How can that bastard call himself a king? How can he abandon his people like this? This is murder!"

"Murder?" the guard gave a confused tilt of his head, "Kid, why do you think you people lived in the Gray Terminal? It's because you people are nothing but trash. This isn't murder. It's just cleaning. Now die."

Naruto watched as the guard's finger fell on the trigger.

'_No way…I'm going to die?'_

The trigger was pulled.

'_Ace…Luffy…Sabo…I'm never gonna see them again? Gray Terminal…everything…everyone is just going to burn up?'_

A shot rang out.

'_Please…I can't die here! Not until I've saved my home! Not until I've saved everyone! Not until I know that those three are safe! I can't die—I need to live!'_

Naruto shut his eyes tight as he braced himself for the impact of the bullet. He felt something hit his head and enter it. An indescribable feeling that made him sick to his stomach washed over him as he felt liquid hit his skin and heard it splash onto the ground behind him. He was terrified—he knew if he opened his eyes, he'd see the crimson redness that was his own blood. It was at that moment that Naruto was sure he had died.

"…What?"

"How is it possible? What the fuck is that brat?"

"H-He's cursed! A devil! A monster!"

Confusion washed over Naruto when he realized that he could still hear his own thoughts, that he could still feel his pain-wracked and sore body. Slowly, he dared to crack one eye open.

On his clothes and on the ground was water.

He reached up and felt his head—no bullet wound. The guard before him quickly readied his rifle again and fired at Naruto once more. This time, out of a morbid curiosity, Naruto watched as the guard pulled the trigger—he did not brace himself nor did he close his eyes. The bullet flew out and struck him in the chest. Water splashed out of him and a hole was left, but the wound quickly closed up as water rushed to fill it before it disappeared, leaving no mark whatsoever. Naruto grew the smallest of smiles that quickly expanded.

He had found his new power.

"He's cursed alright, but he's no monster! This brat has eaten an Akuma no Mi!" another guard roared out in a grizzly voice. Naruto pushed himself off the ground and glared at the guards defiantly, who each took a step back in fear. They weren't fools—they knew how powerful people who ate an Akuma no Mi could become. Naruto pointed at the large steel door.

"Open those doors! The people of the Gray Terminal are getting in there!" Naruto commanded, "After everyone is evacuated, I'm going to force the king to put out the fires myself!"

"You think you can topple a kingdom, brat? One kid with an Akuma no Mi power isn't going to defeat an army!" a guard shouted back, pointing his gun and shooting at Naruto. Just like before, the bullet pierced through him harmlessly, splashing water onto the ground. Suddenly, the panicked screams began to get closer. Turning to glance over his shoulder, Naruto found a large crowd of people from the Gray Terminal rushing towards the city in hopes of refuge. Naruto turned back to the guards.

"Open the doors or I force you!" Naruto roared, charging forward. More bullets were fired at him in vain as he closed the distance between him. Once he was close enough, Naruto threw a punch into one of the guard's gut…only for his fist to turn to water upon impact, causing his attack to harmlessly splash him with water. Naruto pulled back his fist and stumbled back, looking at his hand in horror as his heart fell into the pit of his stomach.

The guards looked at Naruto…before they began to crack up laughing.

"Some power, idiot!" a guard laughed, "You may be durable but you can't even fight? You're supposed to defeat the kingdom? What a joke!"

'_No…No!' _Naruto fell to his knees.

"We can throw him in the ocean after we finish up here—he'll sink like a rock!" another guard laughed, readying his gun. As the panicked crowd rushed forth toward the gates, the guards took aim. Naruto's eyes widened as he watched on. The bullets flew out, shooting into the crowd and striking the people. While some dropped to the ground, killed instantly, other fell while screaming in pain and surprise, clutching their bleeding wounds. Soon enough, a second wave of bullets would put them out of their misery.

"Stop it! Please, just stop this!" Naruto cried, trying to grab one of the guards, only for his hands to once again turn to water. He passed through them and fell to the ground while the guards laughed in glee and continued to fire into the screaming people. More people fell down, dead. By now the crowd, despite their panic, realized what was happening and turned to run back into the flames and away from the city.

"Don't let them escape! Kill every last one of them!" a guard roared.

"No! Don't! Please, I'm begging! Stop all of this!" Naruto begged, tears pouring from his eyes. He closed them tightly as he heard more shots cry out over the flames and screams. The dull thuds of bodies colliding with the ground met his ears as he cringed.

"Stop! Please!" Naruto cried, raising his head to the sky and tearing at his hair, "Please! _STOP!_"

The guards, who were in the middle of reloading, froze, much to Naruto's confusion and relief. What remained of the crowd disappeared into the flames, using the moment of ceasefire to quickly escape the death that awaited them. Naruto watched on as, slowly and one by one, the guards began to drop to the ground, passed out cold for some unexplainable reason. Naruto, shaking and dripping in sweat and tears turned to look at the Gray Terminal.

Bodies were already piling up. The highest mountains of garbage were ablaze in the fiery hell as the inferno pooled down and trapped anyone who was unfortunate enough to be caught inside of it. Smokes rose into the sky, covering the moon and stars. Despite this, the light of the fire still lit up the skies, and the heat rolled in waves, slapping Naruto in the face along with the ash carried by the wind that licked the flames. The screams began to grow louder and louder, pleas for help and mercy, cries of pain…

Naruto could only kneel there and watch with tear-stained eyes as his home burned before him.

"Did you see zat, Dragon-boy? Zis boy…he has eaten a Logia-class Akuma no Mi of ze vater element! Not only zat, but he just used Haki!"

"Don't assume that it's a Logia so quickly, Ivankov…"

"No, no! I definitely saw it! No doubt about it! Zis boy's potential is staggering! Don't you agree, Kuma-boy?"

"…I believe it is a Logia…"

"You see? I knew it!"

Naruto's head snapped to look at the three people who were approaching him. While one was rather tall for an adult, the other two were simply giants. All three wore dark green cloaks that kept most of their bodies obscured from view, though Naruto could still make out their faces with the light of the flames. The most distinct one was a tall man with a humungous head and curly purple hair. On his face was makeup such as black eye-shadow and purple lipstick. He spoke in a thick accent and seemed to be trying to convince the shortest of the three that Naruto was impressive. The tallest of the group had his hood down and carried a bible in his hands. He wore a white hat that forced his messy black hair to fall past his shoulders and had two, round animal ears on his head that reminded him of the bears he had fought in the forest. With tan skin and a powerful jaw, Naruto found the fact that his eyes had no pupils or iris—just the whites of his eyes—to be rather creepy. The last one had long, black hair with a prominent widow's peak and a leathery tan with a strange tattoo on one side of his face. His sharp black eyes were examining Naruto while he rubbed the bit of stubble on his chin.

"W-Who are you people?" Naruto, who normally would have been hostile to any potential threat, found that he could muster the heart to speak in anything but monotone. Before any of the men could reply, however, Naruto heard a familiar voice call out in the flames.

"I won't run away!"

Naruto's head spun so fast that he nearly snapped his neck, as his gaze was drawn into the flames. He suddenly recalled what Bluejam had told him—that Ace and Luffy would come looking for him, try to rescue him from the fire…

"That was…Ace's voice…" Naruto muttered. He quickly got to his feet and charged into the fire, much to the surprise of the three men.

"V-Vait! If you go in zere, you vill burn to death!" one of the men called out after him.

As Naruto disappeared, Emporio Ivankov turned to his allies.

"Are ve simply going to let such potential go to vaste?" Ivankov frowned.

"…He must have something worth saving in there," Bartholomew Kuma muttered quietly.

Both of the men turned to Monkey D. Dragon, questioning their next course of action silently. Dragon seemed to stare into the flames where the child he had just seen vanished into with a strange and knowing smile on his face. Sighing, he turned to his two commanders and waved his hand towards the raging fire that begun to spread even farther and farther out, engulfing as much as it possibly could into its fiery jaws.

"Our goal first and foremost is to rescue as many people as possible. That boy won't abandon this place…not like this. I'm sure we'll see him again tonight."

* * *

Smoke filled his lungs as the dry air drew tears from his eyes. Naruto coughed, running as quickly as he could through the flames. Surprisingly, despite the fire surrounding him, poking and nipping at him from all directions, Naruto felt nothing more than a bothersome itch whenever the flames touched his skin. Whether that was included in what Naruto was officially declaring a useless power or not, he didn't stop to consider. He just ran around aimlessly, searching in vain for his friend.

"Ace!" Naruto called, coughing slightly, "Ace! Answer me! Where are you? ACE!"

"…N-Naruto? Is that you?"

Naruto's heart stopped as he heard the coughing voice over the roaring inferno. He began to look around, straining his eyes in the dry, smoky air to see through the dancing flames for any sign of his friend.

"Ace! Keep talking!" Naruto shouted.

"E-Easier said than done, you idiot! A-Are you okay?"

"…I'll manage!" Naruto called back, shifting closer to where he thought he heard his friend's voice, "Is Luffy with you?"

"Luffy's back home! It's just me and Dadan, our guardian!"

"Dadan? You mean the leader of the Dadan Thieves?" Naruto shouted in surprise before shaking his head, "Forget it! You can explain later! Tell me what's around you!"

"We're just caught in a ring of fire, kid! I'm going to toss up this bastard's sword, so you'll be able to find us in a second!" an unfamiliar voice called out, causing Naruto to assume it was Dadan. His confusion on what sword and what bastard she was talking about would have to wait. Naruto looked up to the sky in search of the promised weapon and, sure enough, moments later, a large cutlass went sailing into the air over a particularly tall wall of fire.

Naruto glared at the obstacle, _'Let's see if this power is worth anything…!'_

Naruto thrust his palms outward, closing his eyes tightly in concentration. In his mind, he pictured water shooting from his hands and diminishing the fire in front of him. Water as strong as the powerful churning waves of the ocean caught in a fierce storm and as swift and large as a huge waterfall. Naruto stood there silently amongst the sea of flames, trying to will the water out of his body.

"Naruto, did you see that? Naruto!" Ace called out to him.

Naruto's eyes snapped open just in time to catch two large bullets of water shoot out of his hands. The globs sailed through the air, slamming down into the ground just before the fire and splashing into a tower of water that fell onto the fire. Sure enough, as the water cooled the flames and opened a pathway through it, Ace stumbled out carry a heavyset woman on his back—Dadan, Naruto assumed. Both were bruised and beaten, clearly tired and bleeding from cuts along their arms.

"You two alright?" Naruto frowned.

"We're a lot better now than before. How did you put out the fi—never mind. Doesn't matter right now," Ace muttered, turning back to the flames, "If you think we're bad, you should see him."

Naruto glanced behind Ace to where he was staring. On the ground, flintlock and sword beside him, laid the beaten body of Bluejam. His clothes were singed and torn and his mouth hung open, revealing his now-missing teeth. A pool of his own blood was forming around him and he was covered in bruises and cuts himself. Naruto glared down at the man, feeling no pity for the man whatsoever.

"He dead?" Naruto questioned.

Ace snorted, "He will be. Leave him."

"No more talking. We're getting out of here—now. You two are coming with me back down the mountain and that's that," Dadan spoke up, eyeing Naruto and Ace. Ace nodded, and began to walk carefully around the flames towards where he could just make out the forest through the smoke. It took a little bit for him to realize that Naruto wasn't following him. Turning around, Ace was suddenly overcome with a sensation of dread as he saw the look in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto's eyes stuck out amongst his beaten and bruised body—they burned with a strong and energetic determination.

Ace immediately began to shake his head, staring his friend in the eyes, "No…no, no, no, no! Naruto, don't do this! You can't seriously be planning on sticking around here! Look around—it's over! The Gray Terminal is done for! We gotta get outta here now or we'll all die!"

"…I can't leave, Ace. This is my home," Naruto slowly began to walk backwards toward the flames, offering a smile to Ace's sad face, "Look after Luffy, alright? Make sure you meet up with Sabo again, too! I'll be alright, so don't worry about me, Ace!"

"Naruto…come with us. Come with us back to the mountain and you can look after Luffy yourself!" Ace shouted.

"Don't be an idiot, kid! There's nothing anyone can do for this place now—you're just throwing away your life!" Dadan yelled.

Naruto shook his head softly, "No…No, I'm the only one with the power to do something for this place now."

With that, Naruto turned around and ran off into the flames, ignoring the cries of Ace and Dadan behind him and never turning to look back once.

* * *

More water gushed from his hands in a steady stream as Naruto put out flame after flame. It must have been at least an hour since Naruto had left Ace and Dadan to try and save his home. Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow as he stumbled onto the next flame. He had put out fire after fire, released a river of water and yet no apparent difference was made. A blanket of flames still covered the Gray Terminal, screams were still echoing out, and the towers of smoke were just as tall as they had been. Moreover, though he didn't want to admit it, Naruto could feel the pain and exhaustion beginning to take their tolls.

'…_.J-Just one more…if I can just take out one more flame…' _Naruto told himself as he tried to aim a shaky arm at another flame. The next thing Naruto knew, he was on his back, looking up to the smoke-covered sky. Naruto frowned, struggling to push himself up, _'W…When did I fall?'_

"You're going to die if you continue to push yourself, you know."

Naruto's eyes traveled up to find the cloaked man from earlier—the one with the tattoo—staring down at him. Naruto sent a weak glare at the man, "S…S-Shut up! I…I can still go on…"

"Why do you struggle so much to save this place? I already have everyone who is still alive on my ship and we're about to head out. No one alive is still in this junkyard except for you," the man informed him, "There's no reason to stay here and lose your life over something so meaningless."

"…M-Meaningless? Meaningless?" against all odds, Naruto felt one last surge of adrenaline as he pushed himself into a kneeling position to send a fierce glare to the man before him, blood leaking out of his mouth as he roared, "I hated this place! This place has caused me nothing but pain and sadness! I hate how the people here do nothing to help each other and can only think of themselves! I hate how the Nobles of the city are so self-righteous, treating anyone they see as below them like they're just things to be discarded! I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HATE THIS SHITTY PLACE!"

The man watched as tears flows down Naruto's eyes, the boy's hands clenched tightly into fists and he began to pound away at the ground in a fit of rage and frustration, hard enough to draw blood from his worn and weary hands. Naruto panted to catch his breath, swallowing twice and hacking up blood and saliva on the ground before him, forcing him to bow his head.

"…But this is the place that I met Ace! This is the place I met Sabo! This is the place I met Luffy! Without this place, I never would have met any of them! Without this place, I never would have grown strong enough to stand alongside them! Without this place, I never would have been able to laugh with them, to train with them, to talk to them!" Naruto roared, "THIS IS PLACE IS THE HOME THAT I HATE AND LOVE SO MUCH! I CAN'T JUST LET IT DISAPPEAR BEFORE MY OWN EYES!"

"…You fool," the man muttered. Had Naruto been paying attention, he would've noted the man's eyes slightly widened at the mention of Luffy's name. But Naruto was too tired to pick up on such small details. Naruto could only continue to glare up at him as the man looked down at him, his sharp eyes burning with passion and knowledge. The man outstretched his arms, motioning to the burning land around them and he looked Naruto in the eye.

"You utter and complete fool!" the man roared back, "Tell me, boy, what is a home? Merely a spot! A location! A good home is made from the memories one makes there! Tell me, boy…what made memories so good that it made you want to protect this place, even if you died? Was it this place? Or was it your friends?"

Naruto fell silent, his tears increasing as he found that any words he could reply with died on his tongue. The man kneeled down to Naruto's level and patted his head, ruffling the blonde's spiky hair.

"This is why you must live on. A home is not made by a location, but by the people who live with you in that home. Where are those people? Are they safe? Waiting for you, perhaps? Go to them. Make a new home, one where you can continue make fond memories with your friends," the man spoke softly. Naruto shook his head, an ashamed look crossing his teary eyes.

"…I'm not strong enough! I can't protect them or my home! I thought…that if I lived for myself, I could just be strong for myself!" Naruto cried, "But now…I want to live for them! I want to protect them! My friends…I want to be able to protect them from anyone that would hurt them! But even if I want to…I'm too weak! I can't do it!"

"I see…you wish to become stronger, so that you can create a home where your friends can be safe, is that it?" the man extended his hand to Naruto, his charismatic and strong eyes staring into the boy's very soul, "Come with me, then, boy. I will make you strong and, together, we will change this world. We will make it a world that everyone can call a 'good home.' But the choice is yours. Do you truly wish to grow stronger to protect them or do you merely wish to continue to live alongside them?"

Naruto stared at the man's offered hand. Shakily, he reached up…and grabbed the goggles Sabo had given him. Clutching them tightly in his grip, Naruto raised his head to the sky.

"ACE! LUFFY! SABO! I SWEAR…" Naruto yelled out to the sky, "I WILL BECOME STRONG! I WILL PROTECT YOU ALL! I…PROMISE YOU GUYS—THE PROMISE OF A LIFE TIME! I WON'T LIVE FOR MYSELF ALONE! I WILL GROW STRONG…AND PROTECT MY FRIENDS!"

Naruto threw his hand into the man's larger one before passing out, the blue goggles still clutched in a vice-grip in his other hand. Wordlessly, Dragon lifted the boy onto his shoulder and walked back to his ship—a massive, darkly painted ship with a dragon twisting around the entirety of it. As he got aboard, the sails dropped and Ivankov and Bartholomew immediately rushed to his side, eyeing the boy in his hands. Before either of them could speak, however, Dragon looked at the pair.

"Are all the people we rescued safe and aboard?"

The two nodded.

"Good," Dragon glanced down at the boy he held, "See to this boy's wounds—he should be considerably exhausted. Get him some new clothes, as well as a bath. Make sure you don't lose those goggles of his, either. I don't think he'd ever forgive us if we did."

Handing the boy to Ivankov, who immediately rushed to get the child to the sickbay, Dragon stalked off to his quarters as his large ship began to pull out of the cove, leaving behind the fiery Gray Terminal to disappear by the time morning came. Kuma watched his captain leave before glancing back at the flames behind them. After a minute of silent observing, Kuma, too, headed to his own quarters for the night.

* * *

Naruto gave a startled gasp as he shot up, his heart racing as he eyes glanced wildly around the room he was in. It was a simple oaken room, with a large oil lantern hanging over top to provide light. Cabinets crammed full of different books, medicine and drugs lined the walls, as did about fifteen other empty cots, each with nightstands next to them. Judging from the white curtains that hung around each cot, Naruto quickly concluded that he must have been in some sort of infirmary, like he had seen in pictures from books and papers that were in the Gray Terminal.

'_The Gray Terminal…'_ Naruto hung his head low, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. Wiping them away with the back of his hand, Naruto glanced outside the porthole that was next to his cot. All he could see was miles and miles of ocean—no land in sight. Wherever he was, he was out at sea. As he looked down at the nightstand next to his cot, Naruto gave a light smile as he saw that his goggles were there, resting on top of the wooden nightstand. Grabbing them and placing them on his head, Naruto shoved off the blanket that had been placed over him, noting a new black shirt and tan shorts. His fingers that had been broken that night were in small splints and, under his shirt, he could see a large amount of bandages wrapped around his chest.

Shrugging, Naruto placed his feet on the cool wooden floor and stood and walked over to the door.

"Oho? You've been out for two veeks. I'm surprised to see zat you can valk around so easily. Well, it is to be expected—ve have high hopes for you."

Naruto jumped and twirled around to find a man sitting in the corner of the room, flipping through the pages of a book nonchalantly. Naruto's eyes widened, _'How the hell did I miss him of all people?'_

Naruto recognized the man as one of the three cloaked men he had seen on the night of the fire in the Gray Terminal—the one with the huge head that wore make-up. Seeing the man without the cloak did not make his appearance any less strange. The man had yet to actually look at Naruto, as his eyes were still glued to the book in his hands. As he turned a page, he called out to Naruto.

"So…your name, boy?"

Naruto blinked, "U-Uzumaki Naruto…"

"Vell, Naru-boy, I am Emporio Ivankov. You may call me Ivankov if you vish," Ivankov spoke in the same thick accent he had used before. Reaching to the nightstand next to him, Naruto watched as Ivankov took hold of a strange snail and held it up to his mouth, "Dragon-boy? Yes, ze boy is awake."

The next few minutes were spent in silence as Naruto waited for something to happen. Ivankov was simply flipping through a book, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. Soon enough, however, the door creaked open, and in walked the man with the tattoo that Naruto had assumed saved him that night. Behind that man, ducking down to get through the doorway, was the giant of a man that had reminded Naruto of the bears he fought in the forest.

The tattooed man grinned at Naruto, "I see you're awake—good. It's been about two weeks, you know. I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up at all. I am Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army and these two are Bartholomew Kuma and Emporio Ivankov, whom I'm sure you've already met. They are both commanders in my army."

"The Revolutionary Army?" Naruto blinked.

"It's no surprise you haven't heard of us. The World Government is trying to keep our existence a secret, so not many know of us yet," Dragon explained, "Your name is?"

"Uzumaki Naruto…" Naruto mumbled, feeling a bit out of place among the adults in the room. Kuma nodded his head in a greeting as Ivankov snapped the book shut and placed it on the stand next to him, sitting up and walking over to Dragon.

"You told me that you want to become strong enough to protect your friends, Naruto. Do you still want to?" Dragon questioned.

Naruto nodded, determination apparent in his eyes, "I made a promise to my friends. I will definitely become strong!"

Dragon smirked and glanced at Ivankov, who nodded and stepped forward.

"Ve noticed your potential zat night, Naru-boy," Ivankov explained, "Ze power of ze fruit you have eaten…ve call it ze 'Kōzui Kōzui no Mi', or ze 'Flood-Flood Fruit'. It is vat is called a 'Logia' class Akuma no Mi and it has turned your body into vater and given you control over ze element of vater. Along vith vis, ve noticed zat you have a particularly rare type of somezing known as 'Haki'. If ve vere to train you, you could no doubt become a very poverful person."

"A poverful person?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Poverful! Poverful, you little idiot!" Ivankov snapped as Dragon chuckled and Kuma's lips turned upward into a very faint smile.

"…Powerful…" Kuma explained quietly. Naruto nodded his head in understanding, a sheepish grin overcoming his face.

"Yes, vell!" Ivankov continued, "If ve vere to train you, ve vould have some conditions, understand?"

"Like what?" Naruto frowned.

"First of all, there will be no quitting half-way through and no half-assing it. I won't lie to you. The training will be hellish and it will push you to the brink of death—sometimes over that brink—but if you can withstand it all, you will be strong," Dragon spoke, "The next is that you become one of us by joining the Revolutionary Army. We aren't a charity, so if you want our help, you'll help us in return. It should be fine, as we have similar goals and dislikes, as it would appear."

Naruto thought back to their conversation that night and nodded stiffly. Dragon continued.

"This last one is more of a warning than anything else. You have to understand this—we are enemies of the World Government. We are enemies of the current world," Dragon explained, "More than half of the world wants us dead right this second and as soon as you're spotted with us, you'll be marked a criminal and a revolutionary and be hunted down by the World Government. Even so, do you still want to go through with this? Now is your last chance to back out."

"The world will hate me? The world already hates me! Nothing has changed!" Naruto answered, reaching up to grip the goggles on his forehead, "I made a promise and I intend to go through with it. I want to be strong."

Dragon and Naruto matched gazes for a short moment before Dragon barked out a deep laugh. Turning and walking to the door, Dragon pushed it open and stepped through the doorframe, never turning back. Naruto stared at the man expectantly, as did Ivankov and Kuma.

"You're gonna go through hell, kid," Dragon muttered, "Welcome aboard. You're training starts tomorrow."

* * *

Dragon sighed contently as his eyes looked over a few scattered papers on his desk. The morning sun was just hitting through the portholes of his office and all was a quiet—a rarity, considering the rowdy bunch that made up his crew. His quarters weren't anything special—a dark green carpet, a bed, desk, pictures and maps hung up on the walls and a few bookcases chocked full of different reading material and references. An oil lamp hung from the ceiling, giving light to the room. As he brushed a few of his papers towards a messy and unorganized stack by his Den-Den Mushi, he briefly paused as his hand fell on a report of Naruto's growth and development on his powers.

Ten years. Ten years had passed since he, Kuma, and Ivankov had taken Naruto under their wing.

'_He's late, too. I wanted him up here ten minutes ago…lazy brat. Probably napping again,' _Dragon sighed, but held a wry smile on his face. He'd be lying if he said the kid hadn't brightened up the ship with his presence. Kuma treated him like a little brother and, even though Ivankov would pretend to be angry every time Naruto called him a 'hag', it was obvious that he really cared for the boy. Their care showed in his development as well—Naruto had become quite powerful in his own right. Dragon was pulled out of his thoughts as his door opened and a sheepish chuckle rang out.

"Sorry about being late, Dragon-jiji! I got lost on the way here! Ivan-nee and Kuma-nii told me that you wanted to see me?"

Naruto hadn't just grown in terms of strength in the ten years he spent training, either. He was now a strong nineteen-year-old, with a well-built form. Nothing overly muscular, but it was clear that he still had some muscle on that thin form of his, without an ounce of baby-fat noticeable. He had lightly tanned skin as he did when he was a child and his hair was still a spiky blonde, falling over his forehead. He was now taller, a fact that he liked to brag about, reaching just above the average height of boys his age. His…attire was a bit odd for a revolutionary, Dragon noted, but it wasn't really an issue. Naruto always wore his old blue goggles around his neck, with a blue tropical button-up t-shirt that he always left with the buttons undone. He would throw on a simple white t-shirt under that and a pair of long, beige pants and black sandals.

That was how he looked as he entered Dragon's quarters at this very moment, an apologetic grin stretching from one set of whisker marks to the other.

Dragon sighed, motioning for Naruto to pull up a chair in front of his desk. Naruto complied and waited for his boss to speak.

"So…you're nineteen now."

Naruto gave Dragon a flat look, "I've been nineteen since October."

"This is correct," Dragon smirked at the boy's annoyed look, "You've been with us for ten years now, Naruto. Do you feel stronger?"

Naruto grinned, punching his open palm, "You already know the answer to that, Dragon-jiji!"

"Good. I've been talking with Kuma and Ivankov…and we have agreed that you are strong enough to earn a promotion to the rank of commander," Dragon grinned as he finished his sentence, enjoying the look of surprise and shock as the blonde almost fell out of his seat.

"Commander? The same rank as Ivan-nee and Kuma-nii?" Naruto cried out in surprise, his eyes wide, "Dragon-jiji, I'm nowhere near their level!"

"Don't underestimate yourself, Naruto. While you may not be able to defeat Kuma or Ivankov, your growth has been impressive to say the least. We wouldn't be offering you the promotion if we knew you weren't strong enough or undeserving of it," Dragon replied, "However…there is the matter of your promotion exam."

"Ah…here's the catch," Naruto sighed.

Dragon chuckled, "It's just a simple mission, that's all. I'm sure you remember Luffy—he's turned seventeen this year. He recently left to start his pirate journey, from what my informants tell me. I would like you to accompany him on his travels to and through the "Paradise" section of the Grand Line. Just check in with me now and then on how he's doing…and, when he makes it to the New World, I want you to size up his work and skill and tell me if he would make a good addition to the Revolutionary Army and offer him a position with us. Are you up for it?"

Naruto grinned, subconsciously reaching up to grip his goggles, "A chance to see Luffy again? When do I head out?"

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece.

Few! Longest. Prologue. EVER! Well, there it is, my attempt at a Naruto x One Piece crossover! Please review and tell me how I did, because I'm not sure how this turned out. The pairing is Naruto x Nami and don't think that Naruto's gonna be god-mode just because he has the water Logia! Logia users can only control the elements they produce with their powers unless them mix a substantial amount in with a pre-existing element they have power over. And if that last sentence was confusing, basically, Naruto can't just flat out control the entire ocean. He can do some tricks to manipulate it, but his true powers go a lot deeper than that.

Naruto is still weak to seastone. Also, despite being able to pull some tricks with his powers to manipulate seawater, if Naruto's actual body touches seawater, it's affects still take their toll on him, so, no, Naruto can't swim in the ocean or anything like that.

Well, it's about three in the morning and I have to edit this, so expect an update next month! I will update all my fics (or try to) once a month, unless something comes up! Real life takes priority for an up-and-coming college freshmen, guys!


	2. Chapter 1: He's a Pirate

Crickets chirped in the dead of the night as the forest around the small cabin was perfectly still, giving the illusion to anyone who didn't already know of the forest's incredible beasts that it was just another quiet, sleepy little woods. Those who knew better would rather be on a sinking boat in the ocean than in the forest at night—they had better chances of survival there, after all. Most were inside their homes, away from the risks of becoming a late-night snack for whatever hungry critter happened to catch a tempting glimpse of you. As she set aside the copy of the newspaper she was reading and put out her cigarette, Dadan offered a hearty laugh, careful not to wake her fellow thieves.

The cabin wasn't anything great—just a large, open room that most of the thieves spent their time in, talking, eating, and going over loot. In the back of the room was a door that led to the sleeping quarters, where everyone was currently passed out on a cot or hammock, snoozing the nighttime hours away. Dadan currently sat at her desk in the corner of the room, a small oil lamp at her side as she read of a certain rookie pirate's first notable exploits.

Running a hand through her curly hair, she smirked at the picture of the grinning teenager on the cover of the paper. There sat the seventeen-year-old Luffy, sitting across the table of the infamous "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro, scarfing down the food in front of them. The article spoke of their defeat of one Captain Morgan—a marine who had been abusing his power, apparently.

'_I knew that boy was gonna shake things up, but I didn't think it'd happen so quickly…' _Dadan smirked, lighting another cigarette. Just as she was about to bring it up to her lips, a knock came at the door that stood positioned at the other end of the den. Frowning in suspicion and annoyance, Dadan patted her pocket, feeling the small flintlock in it. Standing and pushing back her chair, she crossed the room to the door and cracked it open just enough to take a wary peep outside.

Her eyes widened, her complexion turned as white as a sheet, and her jaw met the ground as it fell to the floor, "Y-You—"

A grin met her from under a green cloak, "Yo, Dadan-san. Been awhile, hasn't it?"

"W-What are you doing here? We thought you were—"

"Dead? Not yet, Dadan-san. I'm still good for at least a decade. Mind if I come in? I need some help with something."

"O-Of course…" Dadan mumbled, opening the door and allowing the cloaked and hooded figure to step into the room, almost gliding across the floor. Turning to face the woman as she closed the door, the figure reached up and rubbed the back of his covered head, chuckling sheepishly.

"Sorry about just dropping by like this…I should probably apologize for letting you guys think I was dead for a while, too, but I couldn't just hand out my location or leave a trail…" the cloaked man spoke, pulling back his hood to reveal his spiky blonde hair and whisker-like marks. Naruto sighed, "I need you to tell me where Luffy is—he's not in trouble or anything, but I need to find him and talk to him."

Dadan grinned, a few tears brimming at the corner of her eyes, "I should kick your ass right now, you know that, brat? You have any idea how heartbroken Ace and Luffy were when you never came back? If I weren't so happy to see you breathin' or if I wasn't sure that Luffy and Ace would be leaping for joy at the chance to see you again, I would be using your head as target practice right now."

Naruto laughed.

"I wouldn't blame you…how are they all doing, anyway? Ace, Luffy, and Sabo?" he grinned, "I haven't been keeping up with recent events—Ace and Sabo make it to the Grand Line yet? Are they on the same crew or did they each go off alone? Heck, is Luffy going to join one of them?"

Dadan looked at the teenager for a good minute, just staring at him in silence. The blonde titled his head, his grin slipping a bit in confusion at the woman's reaction. With a heavy sigh, Dadan crossed the room again to a small chest that rested in the corner. As Naruto watched, she opened it and fumbled around for a moment before fishing out a small, folded black cloth. Turning round with an unreadable look on her face, she pushed the cloth into his hands. He unfolded it and glanced down at the design that was on the center of it.

The edges were burnt badly, the burnt marks left by the flames eating into the center of the cloth and into some of the design. It smelled of salt and ash, showing that it had definitely been at sea whenever whatever happened to it did. The design was immediately recognizable to the teen as a crudely painted jolly-roger, clearly one that was drawn in a hurry—a simple pair of crossing bones, with a large, blue "S" at the center of them.

Naruto looked back up at Dadan.

She sighed.

"There's…" Dadan began, cringing as if she had been slapped, "…Naruto…there's something you need to know…about Sabo."

* * *

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

He groaned in annoyance, pulling the covers over his head. The roof was leaking? Whoever heard of a leaky roof in a Noble's house? Whoever heard of a leaky anything when it belonged to a king, no less? This wouldn't do, this wouldn't do at all. He had felt that things had been going slack around the castle lately—the guards getting lazier, asking for more time to spend with their families or the chefs asking for raises. The very idea…

'_Imbeciles…they should feel honored to work for me!' _King Jie snarled lightly in his sleep, tossing and turning in his bed. This wasn't some shabby, little kingdom in the South Blue! This was the crowning jewel of the East Blue, the Tenryuubito-approved Kingdom of Goa! The kingdom without a single flaw! He had seen to that a long time ago. He chuckled sleepily, giving himself a mental pat on the back for his brilliant proposal all those years ago.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

'_Of course, where one problem is solved, another appears. The new Gray Terminal is starting to grow just as large as the old one with all the new nobility coming in and the trash living in it is starting to become just as big an eyesore,' _King Jie pondered for a moment, scratching his long, grey beard, _'Oh well…when it starts to become too much of an annoyance, another burning day can simply reproduce the same results.'_

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

He growled, turning over and throwing his face into his pillow, clenching the fabric of the feathery-soft comforter around his ears roughly. The slow and constant noise of that infuriating water was beginning to get on his nerves. That was the problem with such a large bedchamber—the echoes were so infuriating. His room was a rather modest one—a step down from his previous chambers, which had held the same problem. This one wasn't nearly as large—only about the size of a normal ballroom, with only about twenty or so columns running through it. Regal dressers and desks, shelves and walls lined with the most expensive memorabilia and décor that money could buy, a priceless red carpet leading up to his large bed in the center of the room. It was perfect, for he had paid for it to be perfect.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

'_And, of course, those fools messed it up. I'll be seeing that their company is completely destroyed and that they never see work again. Better those useless buffoons are thrown out to live among the garbage of the Gray Terminal…' _Jie gnashed his teeth in annoyance. Then, for a moment, all was calm. That annoying dripping disappeared into the night, ceasing with its constant grating of his patience. With a sigh, Jie fell back against his pillow comfortably, releasing his tight grip on his satin sheets. That useless construction crew was still going to find itself ruined, of course. Valuable minutes of his well-deserved rest were wasted, after all. But for now, he could deal with that in the morning. As his eyes shut, he allowed sleep to begin to overcome him…

…_Drip. Drip. Drip._

"Guards! Guards! Come in here and stop this infuriating dripping noise!" King Jie screamed, shooting up in his bed, his cheeks flushed red with anger. He would have them standing on each other shoulders to reach the ceiling and plug up that leak! If they had to be there all night to stop it, so be it! And if they dared to make a noise to wake him while they did so, he would make sure that each of them…King Jie frowned, his anger giving way to confusion. Turning his head, he looked out at the multiple large, ornate windows that were behind him.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

'_It's…not raining?' _Jie frowned, wracking his memory. He had seen the plans for his new bedchambers before they were built. To make sure there was no excess noise, no pipes ran over, under, or around his room. He had been sure of it…so, where was that noise coming from?

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Jie turned his gaze to the door—outside, he knew there were two armed guards manning the entrance, making sure no one tried to harm him in his sleep. They would be on either side of the double doors, not a foot away from the doors should they need to run in. He had called for them seconds ago! Where were they? His eyes saw red, _'Sleeping? When they should be guarding my precious life?'_

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Sliding out of bed and slipping on his slippers, he swiftly began to storm over to the door, rage building with each thunderous stomp.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

The dripping was getting louder, quicker, matching the growing pace of his anger as he got closer and closer. His teeth gnashed once more, his nostrils flared, his eyebrows bent into a furious glare as he made his way across his room, "Guards! Guards! Get in here this instant!"

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

No one came in. No one answered him. Just as he was about to reach the door, ready to scream and beat the two idiotic guards who fell asleep at their posts, King Jie paused once more, frowning in confusion as he looked at the doors. Water was leaking out from the door, pouring into the room from the bottom of the door and a steady stream was dripping out of the keyhole—the source of the annoying dripping noise—as it all pooled onto the marble flooring. King Jie looked on as confusion turned to panic as the water began to pick up its pace, pouring out more and more as it began to spill and pool around the floor, the twin doors bulging and bulging until it was clear that they were about to—

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

As the next few drops of water came through the keyhole, the doors burst open, sailing into the room as they were carried on a wave of water that rushed into the room, reminding the king of a breaking dam letting loose a river behind it. It took a second for the king to realize the water was rushing towards him. As he turned to run, he felt the powerful wet force hit his back and sweep him off his feet as it carried him away into the room. As the rush of the water died down, King Jie found himself lying on the floor, coughing and spitting up water, thoroughly soaked. As he sat up, he noticed that the two guards that were supposed to guard his room had also been washed into the room by the water, both of them unconscious.

"So…this is the face of the king of Goa? I've never seen you, really—no one from the Gray Terminal did."

Jie's eyes shot to the doorframe. In walked a young man, wrapped in a dark green cloak that concealed his entire body. Glaring at the man, King Jie snarled—he could feel the eyes of the person observing him, taking in every detail. Jie was a tall and slightly portly man of about fifty-four, with a long silver beard and groomed hair. His beady black eyes and flat nose, along with his fat bottom lip were some of his more notable traits. He was garbed in a pale white robe, much like his complexion.

"Who are you? What do you think you're playing at, boy? Do you know who I am? I will have you killed for this!" King Jie yelled, angrily thrusting a finger out to point at the man, "Answer me, you lowly scum!"

The man was silent for a moment. As the king continued to glare at him, the figure began to step forward, speaking with each step he took.

"All this time, I wondered what you looked like. I wondered what the face of such a pathetic, egomaniacal person could possibly look like—I'm not impressed," the man muttered, "I'll be straightforward with you—I'm here to kill you."

King Jie froze, a cold sweat slowly breaking out across his face as he watched the man come closer and closer, "F…Fool! You think you can kill me? I am the ruler of Goa! Guards! Guards! Come in here and seize this man at once!"

"Oh, you won't be finding any help from your guards tonight, your majesty," sarcasm and rage dripped venomously from the man's voice, "I've dealt with them all already. It's just you and me now."

A dreaded sense of the reality of his situation washed over the king as he shakily began to scoot back, "…G-Guards! GUARDS!"

"Ten years ago…you thought you had erased the Gray Terminal," the man spoke, ignoring the king's cries, as he stepped closer, "But the past has a funny way of coming back to haunt us, Jie."

"T-Ten years ago?" Jie mumbled in horror, "T-Then you're…"

The hooded man nodded, "I am a survivor of that night…the night you decided that I was less than human, the night that you tried to burn me and many others alive to please a rotten Tenryuubito."

"P…Please! Don't to this!" King Jie begged, his back hitting one of the many columns that stood in the room. The man held out his arm, his hand making a "gun" with his thumb and pointer finger, "Are you aware, your majesty, that when under pressure, water can be strong enough to cut through steel? This is the type of monster you created—I'm stronger than you could possibly imagine. You dug your own grave."

"_Kōzui Kōzui: Mizu Teppo (Flood-Flood: Water Gun)_," the man muttered. A single stream of water shot out of the man's extended finger like a rocket as the man moved his finger over the room horizontally. As the water met each of the pillars, it cut through them like butter, slicing them in two as they fell to the floor. King Jie gave a yelp of fright as he witnessed this.

"I-I beg of you! M-Mercy, p-please!" King Jie wailed. Jumping to his shaking legs, he attempted to run to the other end of the room. As he turned, however, his heart dropped at the sight of another cloaked figure, identical in every way to the first.

"_Kōzui Kōzui: Mizu Bunshin (Flood-Flood: Water Clone)_," the man muttered once again as he began to close in on the Noble, "Mercy? Did your guards show me mercy, when I ran to the doors of the city looking for refuge from the fire? Did they show the others mercy when they shot them down as they cried out for help? Did the Tenryuubito you were so excited about show my friend any mercy when he murdered him in cold blood? ANSWER ME!"

"N-No!" King Jie cried in fear, tears pouring from his eyes and snot dripping from his nose as he began to weep, "I…I'm sorry! I promise I'll make it up to you! I'll give you anything you want! I'll make you a Noble! I'll shower you in riches! I'll make you next in line to inherit the kingdom! J-Just please spare my life!"

"I want a fleet of ships at my disposal. Hundreds of them—the biggest and fastest money can buy."

The king nodded dumbly and quickly, "Y-Yes!"

"I want more gold and jewels than I could possibly know what to do with."

"At o-once!"

"I want land as far as the eye can see—more than half the kingdom. An army of one million men, each of whom will jump through hoops for me."

"Of course!"

King Jie had pushed himself against his bed, trembling in fear as the man and his clone got closer and closer, making more and more hefty demands, all of which he would instantly agree to. Closer and closer…the cloaked man was now almost only a foot away from him. Tears poured from King Jie's eyes like a waterfall, fear clenching his heart and a lump catching in his throat.

"Promise me everything you own and more—all of it, with nothing left for you, your wife, or any of your children. Promise me that you will step down from your throne and live in the Gray Terminal. When you grow old, promise me that you will burn yourself alive, like you did to so many others that night," the man was within striking distance now. King Jie closed his eyes tightly, nodding vigorously, his words caught in his throat.

"…Then I will let you live."

King Jie's eyes shot open to find the man turned away from him, walking out of the room. The king's hands shot under the bed, retrieving a broadsword. Unsheathing the blade with a manic grin on his face, the king gave an angry scream as he ran at the figure. The cloaked man stood there, not turning to face Jie as he ran up to him and brought the sword down on his head…only for the king and the sword to fall through him like one would fall through the surface of the ocean, covered in water as a loud splash echoed in the chamber. Confusion and fear wracked his mind as he fell to his knees, dripping wet and with his sword in his hands, his assailant towering over him directly behind him. King Jie gulped, refusing to turn his head.

"Just kidding~!" the man sung in a dark, mocking tone, "I only want one thing…one thing and, if you can give it to me, I will let you live and never bother you or return here again."

"…W-What is it?" the trembling king managed out, anxiety rushing through him.

"I want Sabo back."

"W…W-What is a Sabo?"

"Wrong answer. _Kōzui Kōzui:_ _Suirō (Flood-Flood: Water Prison)_!"

A sphere of water wrapped around the king, catching him by surprise before he could even hold his breath. As he began to swallow in gulp after gulp of water, Jie began to bang his hands against the inner walls of the sphere—he could feel that there was no glass or anything holding the water, it was just a sphere made completely and filled with water. Even so, he realized in terror, he couldn't escape it no matter how hard he tried to break through and his lungs were begging for a breath of air, a violent and painful pressure building up in his chest.

Naruto stood there, watching as the man who ruined his life drowned before his very eyes. When he was sure that Jie was dead, he willed the sphere of water to collapse, dropping the soaked corpse of the former king to the ground. By sunrise, the Nobles of Goa would awake to find their king dead and that the doors that separated Goa and the Gray Terminal had been torn open with large puddles of water surrounding them. Atop the castle that once housed their ruler, where the flagpole normally waved the proud and majestic flag of the Kingdom of Goa…the flag was gone, torn to shreds on the floor. Instead, the flag that waved in the wind as the sun rose on the Kingdom of Goa was a small, tattered, black jolly-roger—one that was crudely drawn and burnt.

Two simple bones that crisscrossed and a big, proud, blue "S" in the middle of them…

* * *

The water splashed, leaping into the air and falling back into the calm and quiet sea, leaving a trail of white foam as it did. The cloudless blue sky stretched for as far as the eye could see, matching the distance of the vast open ocean as the vessel sped through the waters. The ship's dark orange paintjob glistened as the sunlight reflected off the water. It was a small boat, able to fit about three people comfortably. Aboard the boat was a simple, oak chest by the stern of the ship, directly in front of the rudder, while a single chair was planted at the bow of the ship, where a certain blonde teenager sat, eyes shut as he relaxed in the comfortable and cozy warmth of the sun. On the outside of the boat on either side, two large, blue, cylindrical tanks were attached, both of which were shooting out water at a great pressure and rate. This, in turn, propelled the boat through the ocean without the need to rely on the sail, which was currently tied up, closed around the mast, which stuck out of a small cabin at the center of the boat.

Naruto's eyes cracked open as he reached to his neck. Clutching the blue goggles that hung there, he gave a heavy sigh, _'Sabo…'_

"H…Hey! Y-You over there, p-please help me!"

"Hm?"

Naruto raised his eyes to spot a small boat in the distance, its black sails marked with a large jolly roger that reminded him slightly of a clown due to its large, red ball of a nose and grinning face. Straining his eyes to get a better look, Naruto could make out what looked to be a panicked person aboard the ship, waving and calling out to him. With an annoyed sigh, Naruto raised his right hand and made a small, turning motion with it. The rudder quickly turned with the motion and adjusted so that the ship would head in the direction of the strange boat.

As Naruto began to get closer to the ship, he took in more details about the person aboard the vessel. She was young, probably his age or just a year younger, and had a relieved smile spread out across her face. Warm, chocolate eyes gazed at him like he was some sort of prince, rescuing her from a tall tower as she ran a hand through her orange hair. Naruto blushed as he began to notice the girl's body. Voluptuous didn't even begin to describe the girl, who practically exuded an aura of allure and beauty. She was dressed in a white, short-sleeved shirt with three blue lines running horizontally on it and an orange miniskirt, both of which only accentuated her nice figure. As he got came to a stop next to her, she gave him a warm smile.

"I can't believe I actually found someone all the way out here! You've got to help me, sir, please!" the girl gave a pleading look, clasping her hands together. Naruto blinked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he gave the girl a curious look.

"I don't mind helping, but tell me what happened first," Naruto frowned, jerking his thumb up towards the jolly-roger on her sails, "I don't exactly like the looks of that thing, miss."

The girl gave a nod, glaring up at the insignia with a look of despise, "I can explain that. I was held captive by a bunch of pirates for the past few days! I managed to escape on one of their ships while they were passed out from drinking, but I'm afraid I've gotten myself lost and I don't have any food or water left aboard. If you could give me a lift to the nearest town, I'd really appreciate it! There's even some treasure I took from the pirates in it for you!"

The girl motioned to a chest behind her and gave another pleading look, jutting out her lower lip as her eyes sparkled, tears brimming in her warm, compassionate eyes. Naruto froze, suddenly caught in the girl's look, feeling his heart skip a beat.

'_S-So this is the rumored 'Puppy-Dog Look' that Ivan-nee warned me about…it's too cute! C-Can't resist…' _Naruto sighed, scratching the back of his head once more, "I don't want your treasure. Just come on aboard and I'll help you out."

Naruto's confusion rose as the girl seemed to be surprised at this and a flash of disappointment ran through her eyes for only the shortest second. Nami smiled pleasantly on the outside. Inside, however, she growled in frustration—she had to come across the one guy on the sea that had a conscious. The Buggy Pirates she had robbed of their treasure and boat earlier had been so simple, taking the bait without question. She pretended to be a lost, helpless girl in need of rescue at sea…offer them some treasure in return for a ride back to town, they jump aboard to get the treasure—an empty chest—and she slips onto their boat and sails off before they even know what happened. Rinse and repeat—it was an easy trick she'd use often.

'_Granted, I don't know for sure if he's a pirate or not…' _Nami thought to herself, _'But I don't exactly have all the time in the world to find out. Buggy is going to be after this ship soon and I need to be off it.'_

Nami quickly hopped aboard Naruto's boat and extended her hand to him with a soft, friendly smile, "I'm Nami."

Naruto gave a grin as he shook her hand, "Name's Naruto."

Nami gave a sheepish grin, glancing at the chest that rested on her rightfully stolen ship. It was, of course, empty—the only useful item that had been on the ship when she stole it was a map leading to the Grand Line. Nami almost allowed a sly smirk to slip onto her face—her new acquaintance didn't need to know that. Nami gestured to the chest, "I don't suppose you wouldn't mind helping me get that aboard, then? It seems like such a waste to just leave it for those pirates to find again. There's another chest on the other end of the ship, if you wouldn't mind getting that first. It has some important things in it I'd like to keep."

Naruto nodded, seeing the logic in at least taking the goods with them, "Sure thing. For now, you should probably just relax. You've gotta be exhausted."

"I am, so thanks a bunch! You're my hero!" Nami gave her best friendliest, brightest smile as Naruto hopped aboard her ship, heading to the stern to search for a chest that didn't truly exist. As soon as she was sure that he was properly distracted, Nami quickly began to search Naruto's small vessel for the ship's wheel and a rope to let the sails down. Nami frowned in confusion, however, when she found neither.

'_This boat is about the size of a small room! Where could he possibly be hiding the damn things?' _Nami cursed as her sharp eyes scanned over the boat. The only thing normal about the ship appeared to be the cabin, the mast, and the sail—there was no apparent way to control the rudder and no apparent way to let the sail loose. Nami let out a quiet growl of frustration, _'How the hell does he even use this thing?'_

A chill ran down Nami's spine as two loud, empty thumps sounded behind her. Turning slowly, she found one chest, empty and opened on its side before her, with Naruto standing behind it. Naruto's eyes were closed and he wore a grin on his face, but somehow Nami felt as though an angry scowl would have been far less intimidating. Nami gave a weak laugh, taking a few steps back with the appearance of a child who had been caught with their hands in a cookie-jar.

"Um…hi?" Nami spoke nervously.

"It seems like the 'treasure' you wanted me to get for you disappeared into thin air, Nami-san—that is your real name, isn't it?" Naruto smiled, seeing Nami's hesitant nod, "Good, good. I wouldn't want for things to get too awkward between us. You won't find a way to steal this boat from me, while we're at it. I'm the only one who can use the thing."

"S-Steal? What are you talking about, Naruto-san?" Nami laughed, "I would never even think about stea—"

"Even I'm not that gullible, Nami-san. Even if they're a bunch of idiots, the Buggy Pirates wouldn't let a hostage escape with one of their boats and two chests full of treasure," Naruto cut in, taking a few steps further and cracking his knuckles, "I had heard some rumors from a friend of mine—another thief that I visited the other night. According to her, there had been a string of robberies going on throughout the East Blue. Your work, I'm guessing?"

Nami broke out into a cold sweat, raising her hands defensively as she let out a sheepish giggle, "Word travels fast, I guess? What happens now?"

"Well, lucky for you, Nami-san, I'm not mad at all."

Nami blinked, a look of surprise coming over her face, "…Y-You're not?"

"Not in the least. I don't get mad at the little things like this," Naruto's smile stretched just a bit further, "I get even."

* * *

"Let me go, you jackass! Is this any way to treat a lady?"

"A lady? No, probably not," Naruto called lazily from his seat, not moving in the slightest, "A thief that just tried to rob me of everything that I own? Meh. I could've done worse."

Nami huffed, glaring downward at the ropes that kept her bound in place. Currently, she found herself on the roof of the small cabin of Naruto's boat, tied to the mast of the ship. Naruto was fast, Nami had to admit. Before she had even seen him move, she was over his shoulder and he had the rope in his left hand. Sighing and leaning her head back against the wood of the mast, Nami briefly wondered how he was even working the boat—he was just sitting there, but somehow, in some impossible way, they were now miles away from their meeting point, despite the lack of both a current and assistance of the sails.

"Hey, how is this thing even moving?" Nami questioned, looking down at Naruto. Naruto stifled a yawn, waving her question off.

"Magic," he answered lazily.

'_I officially hate him,' _Nami growled as she glared at her captor, "Well then, do you at least mind telling me where we're going?"

"_I _am going to find Luffy," Naruto answered, "_You _are going to get dropped off at the first jail I find."

"What? You're just going to leave me to rot in a jail?" Nami cried, "You can't do that! I've got things to do, people to meet!"

"And you can do them and meet them in probably ten to twenty, considering how many different people you robbed blind," Naruto muttered, "Now pipe down. Some of us are trying to sleep over here."

Nami frowned, glaring up at the sky out of sheer boredom. Her mind raced a mile a minute, trying to think of some possible way to escape her current situation. Even if she did somehow manage to escape her bindings—which were tied so tight that she knew that it was an improbable scenario—she had no boat to escape on and they were miles away from the closest island. The only foreseeable escape right now would be to trick Naruto and somehow take control of the boat, but even then, she had no idea how the thing worked. Her only hope would be to somehow sneak away from him when they finally landed, whenever and wherever that may be. Sighing, Nami found herself growing quickly tired from boredom.

"So…who's Luffy?" Nami asked, deciding to at least try and pass the time with some small talk. After a few minutes had passed, in which she had gotten no answer, Nami assumed the blonde really had fallen asleep and gave an annoyed huff. Just as she was about to close her eyes and join him, Naruto spoke up.

"He's a friend I haven't seen in a long time…ten years, in fact," Naruto answered, "He probably thinks I'm dead right now."

"Why would he think you're dead?" Nami questioned curiously as she cast her gaze down at Naruto. Naruto finally turned to look at her with a goofy grin, scratching the back of his head.

"I used to be a headstrong idiot—I guess I still am. The last anyone heard of me before I left home was probably that I ran off into a huge fire," Naruto chuckled at Nami's shocked look, "Well, the past is the past. I survived and now I'm gonna be searching the entire East Blue for the idiot."

"Any idea where to find him?"

"Last I heard of him, he was stirring up trouble in Shells Town. That's why I'm heading there first," Naruto replied, "I've got to find him before he heads off to the Grand Line. If he makes it there, I'm never gonna be able to track him down in time."

Nami blinked in confusion before shooting Naruto a flat look, "You said we're heading for Shells Town?"

"Yeah, why?" Naruto frowned, "Are you gonna be that picky about what jail you're dropped in?"

"Well, I'm only asking because at the rate and direction you're going, you're gonna cross into the North Blue way before you ever even see Shells Town," Nami spoke, jerking her head to the skies, "Just look at the position of the sun! Can't you tell?"

Naruto looked up to the sky, straining his eyes towards the sun, as if trying to see some invisible sign, "No way. According to the map, I should be heading directly towards Shells Town."

"When was the last time you checked that map?"

"Right before I took my nap," Naruto answered plainly.

"You fell asleep? Of course you're going to get off course, you idiot!" Nami shouted, "This thing doesn't have a wheel to control the rudder with! You've drifted miles off course without even realizing it!"

"…Oh," Naruto muttered dumbly, a bored look on his face that only served to annoy Nami further.

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" Nami roared, "How do you expect to find anyone like this? Haven't you ever navigated on the ocean before?"

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up, "Not even once!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO?"

"Sheesh…don't get so worked up. It'll be fine, right? I mean, how far off course are we, anyway?" Naruto asked.

"If you ran into me, then you must have been going in the wrong direction for at least a day," Nami replied, shooting Naruto a flat look as he nodded.

"I see…well, duly noted," Naruto said, turning to look at Nami again, "Well, it seems like you know your way around here, so do you mind helping me get to Shells Town?"

Nami stared at Naruto with a look that was clearly asking him just how stupid he was, "Why would I help you take me to prison?"

"…Out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Nope."

"You've realized that you should do the time to make up for all those people you stole from and then turn over a new leaf once you're out?"

"Try again."

Naruto sighed, "I'll untie you and I'll consider not taking you to jail the second we hit land."

Nami gave a victorious grin, "I'll take it! Now be a good boy and untie me already!"

Naruto leapt up to the roof of the cabin and begrudgingly untied the girl. The second Nami was untied, she stood and stretched, grinning happily as she leapt down from the cabin. Naruto sat on the roof of the cabin, dangling his legs over the side as he watched the girl move around the ship. Finally, Nami looked up at Naruto, a shooting him a tired look.

"At the very least, do you have a compass I can use? Where's the map, too? Did you lose it?" Nami questioned, hands on her hips as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Naruto frowned, "I'm not stupid, just directionally challenged with a hint of laziness. They're both in the cabin on my desk—feel free to use them."

Nodding, Nami made her way to the front of the cabin and opened the door, stepping inside and glancing around. The cabin didn't have a whole lot to it, but she supposed that it did match the ship's less than impressive size and looks. In the corner of the cabin directly next to one of two portholes in the room was a comfy looking hammock, with a pillow and blanket tossed lazily into it and a small nightstand next to it. Across the room from the hammock was a small desk and chair, with scatter papers thrown about in some messy, disorganized fashion that only the one who put them there would be able to make any sense of. Add in two small bookshelves crammed full of different books and references, a dusty old rug on the floor, a basic map of the oceans pinned onto the wall, and the small oil lamp hanging from the ceiling and the summary of the room was more or less complete.

Nami made her way over to the desk where she spied the compass next to a rolled-up paper that she assumed was the map—both stood out, as they were leaned up against a small, black Den-Den Mushi that had a smaller white Den-Den Mushi attached to it. As she sat at the desk, Nami unrolled the map and took hold of the compass, quietly getting to work retracing Naruto's mistaken steps to find their current location. In a matter of seconds, the young, gifted navigator had already pinpointed the spot where she had gotten aboard with Naruto, and was now quickly getting to the matter of their current location.

As she did, however, her eyes drifted to a few of the papers that were spilling out over the oaken surface of the desk. As she rested her cheek in her hand, she quickly glanced around to make sure that Naruto was in no way watching her from either of the portholes. Seeing no sign of the blonde, Nami began to pick through some of the papers. She frowned as she read the first one she grabbed.

_83929475. 89377058082849 89898 98989 99849 997402, 84849. 89834 85 373 47474 838394._

'_Some sort of code?' _Nami frowned, placing the paper aside as she began to search through more and more of them, _'Who rides around in a boat like this with papers so secretive that they have to be written in some weird code?'_

Nami's brow furrowed as she quickly realized that most, if not all of the papers were in a similar, indistinguishable code. Sighing, Nami was just about to give up on finding out a bit more of her weird, temporary travel companion, she spied one paper sticking out amongst the others that she instantly recognized as a Marine-issued 'Wanted' poster. Pulling the paper out of the bunch, Nami began to look it over with a bored look on her face that quickly turned to a look of shock the more she read on the paper. There, in the center of the poster was the familiar grinning face of Naruto, dressed similarly to how he was dressed currently, complete with the goggles and tropical shirt. What surprised her most, what had her breath hitch in her throat, however, was what was written directly below the picture.

_Wanted Dead or Alive_  
_"Torrent of Rebellion" Naruto  
Bounty: 525,000,000 Beli_

'_F-Five-hundred million?' _Nami gasped in shock, bringing her hands her mouth. Slowly, as she processed the information on the poster, Nami's hands fell back down to the desk to clutch the poster in her hands. Her look of surprised slowly gave way to a smile which soon turned into a full-blown grin that stretched across her face. Nami's trembling hands held the poster up like it was a priceless treasure to be examined in the light. She shot abruptly to her feet, knocking over the chair she was sitting on and gave a small jump for joy.

'_Forget about Buggy's chump-change, this is the real deal! Five times my goal! I'll have enough left over to live in the lap of luxury once Arlong hightails it out of town! More than enough to buy a good boat and set out to start mapping the world!' _Nami grinned, _'What's more, he's even asking me to take him to Shells Town, one of the biggest Marine bases in the East Blue! It's like he's giftwrapping himself for me!'_

Money-signs in her eyes, Nami twirled around in happiness, clutching the picture to her chest, _'He'll try to bring me in and all I'll have to do is show them this and I'll be set for life! Those Marines can't even pin anything on me, since I've only stolen from pirates! It's just too perfect!'_

"Oi, Nami, you done in here or what?"

Nami jumped in fear and quickly hid the poster behind her back as she turned to glare at Naruto, who had just barged in to interrupt her victory dance. Nami glared, a blush spreading lightly on her cheeks as Naruto raised a brow, questioning her odd movements. Moving over to him, she began to push him out of the room with her free hand, the other hand still clutching the poster behind her back, her glare never leaving her face.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Nami yelled, as she shoved Naruto out onto the deck, "No, I am not done yet! Out!"

Naruto turned and gave her a confused look, "It's kinda my room. What's behind your back?"

"A map!" Nami answered quickly, "What else would it be? Now how do you expect me to work if you keep bothering me?"

Naruto frowned, scratching the back of his head, "This is the first time I asked you…"

"Well, make it the last time!" Nami snapped, "I'll be done when I'm done! Don't try to rush me!"

With that, Nami slammed the door closed, leaving the horribly confused Naruto standing there.

"O…Okay?" Naruto blinked. Shrugging, he quietly made his way to the chest in the back of the boat. Opening it and pulling out a fishing pole, Naruto made his way back to his seat and cast his line out into the waters around the boat. Leaning back in the chair and getting a lax grip on the pole, Naruto closed his eyes and let out a small sigh of both confusion and irritation. As he gazed out at the setting, twilight sun slowly sinking below the horizon, Naruto shrugged.

'_Ivan-nee and Kuma-nii always said that girls could be weird…'_

* * *

Nami yawned as she sat up the next morning, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she looked around, Nami frowned, and continued to do so even after she remembered where she was. She was absolutely certain that she had fallen asleep at Naruto's desk last night, her exhaustion catching her just as she finished her work. So why then had she awoken on the admittedly very comfy hammock across the room, with the blanket draped over her? Where was Naruto, for that matter?

She got her answer when Naruto opened the door, a happy grin on his face as he carried in a plate of food, "Morning sleepyhead. I made breakfast, so help yourself—I should probably warn you, though, that I'm not much of a cook."

Nami blinked in surprise as she took the plate that was offered to her, looking down at the meal before her, "How did you make this?"

"There's a small door in the deck by the stern that leads down below. All that's down there though is a real small kitchen—it'd probably be really cramped with just two people in it," Naruto answered as he sat at his desk, reaching into the drawer and fetching a pair of reading glasses. As he put them on, he began to start going over some of the indecipherable codes on the multiple papers there. He didn't seem to notice the absence of the Wanted poster that currently sat folded up in Nami's pocket. Nami picked up the fork that was on the plate and took a small, cautious bite of the food.

"It's…good," Nami mumbled in surprise.

Naruto chuckled, "Is it? Ivan-nee is the one who taught me how to cook, but I'm nowhere near as good as he is."

"Ivan-nee?" Nami looked at Naruto with a confused frown.

Naruto nodded, "Ivan-nee taught me to cook and how to do basic chores and Kuma-nii taught me how to read, write, and do math."

"What about your parents or school?"

"Never went to school—I'm an orphan, too."

Nami flinched, "S-Sorry…"

Naruto laughed heartily, "Don't worry about it! I can't miss what I never knew, right? Besides, Kuma-nii, Ivan-nee, and Dragon-jiji are all the family I really need. I'd be nothing without those guys."

Nami gave a light smile as she watched Naruto grin, a far-off look in his eyes as she imagined he was thinking about the fun times he had had with his adoptive family. Nami quickly realized then, that Naruto must have come in last night and moved her to the hammock, covering her in the blanket as well. Nami frowned, "Hey, Naruto, where'd you sleep last night?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked up from his work, "I slept on the roof. I sleep there all the time—do a bit of stargazing. It gets boring on the boat all alone, so it passes the time to just look at the stars or clouds."

Nami suddenly felt a pang of guilt as she felt the poster shift in her pocket. She subtly shook her head, ridding herself of the feeling, _'Don't be stupid, Nami! He's a pirate with a bounty of over five-hundred million! The things he had to do to get a bounty like that must have been atrocious!'_

"So, did you figure out where we were?" Naruto asked without looking up from the papers. Nami nodded, setting the empty plate and utensils aside on the nightstand as she stood from the hammock. Walking over to stand behind Naruto, who had already unrolled the map on the desk, Nami leaned over his shoulder and pointed to a small 'X' that she had marked on the map, "We're right here. So, if we keep heading southeast, we should be able to land in Shells Town in about two days or so."

"G-Great job…"

"Thanks…" Nami mumbled in confusion at Naruto's shaky voice. Looking down at the blonde's face, she blinked when she realized that he was blushing heavily, his eyes trying to look anywhere in the room but her direction. It was then that Nami realized that by leaning forward, she had actually placed her chest directly next to Naruto's head. Blushing a bit herself, Nami was about to scoot back when she paused. A teasing grin slowly made its way to her face as she stifled a laugh.

"What's the matter, Naruto? You seem a bit red…"

"I-It's n-nothing!" Naruto answered quickly.

"Is it now?" Nami smirked, "You know, ever since we became travel buddies, you've been awful sweet to me, Naruto-kun..."

Naruto's blush increased at the added suffix to his name, "W-Well, y-you're helping me out! I-Ivan-nee taught me to always b-be kind to t-those who help me!"

"Is that right? Well, I still think it's very nice of you, Naruto-kun. I don't how I'll ever repay you…"

"D-Don't worry about it!"

Nami had to struggle to keep herself from bursting out into a fit of laughter at how easily flustered Naruto was. Even she had to admit, the way he was acting like such a kid was too cute, especially with the way the blush was spreading out across those whisker-like marks on his face. Quickly deciding to bring it home, Nami leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder, allowing her cheek to brush against his, and wrapped her arms around his chest from behind the chair, causing her to blush slightly as she felt his lean muscles. Nami felt his form stiffen and go rigid at her touch, and she could practically feel the heat from his blush with how close their faces were.

"Oh, but I'd just feel so bad if you didn't get some kind of reward…" Nami whispered sultrily into Naruto's ear, "So…why don't you tell me how you'd like to be rewarded, Na-ru-to-kun?"

And just like that, Nami pulled her head back and lifted her arms from around Naruto's chest. The teen fell out of his chair and onto the floor with a massive blush on his face as Nami laughed hysterically at his resemblance to a tomato. Naruto sat up, sending an angry glare towards Nami that was nowhere near effective with the blush that was still present on his face—if anything, it only caused the girl to giggle even more.

"W-What w-was that?" Naruto yelled, pointing at the giggling thief.

Nami wiped a tear from her eye as she finally stopped laughing, a smile on her face, "Sorry, Naruto, but the chance was too good to pass up. Besides, you were just too adorable! Just like a little kid! How about it, Naruto? Do you think I'm cute? Sexy?"

Naruto frowned as Nami laughed again, his blush still present. Shortly after, Naruto joined her, with both of them laughing. As they both calmed down, Naruto pulled off his reading glasses and set them on the desk as he headed towards the door of his cabin.

"I'm going to get this thing headed in the right direction. Feel free to just relax until we make it to Shells Town—grab a book to read or something," Naruto spoke as he opened the door. Stepping out and turning to close it, Naruto gave Nami a smirk, "And, as a matter of fact, I find you both cute and sexy."

Naruto chuckled at Nami's blush as he closed the door quickly, just in time to block the book that was thrown at him by the blushing thief.

The day passed quickly for the two after that. Naruto spent his time simply relaxing back in that chair of his with Nami laying out beside him, soaking in the sun while reading a few of the different books that Naruto had on the shelves in his cabin. With Naruto just sitting there, Nami's most frequently asked question was how he was even making the thing go in the right direction. Every time, Naruto would give the same answer of it being "magic" and Nami would promptly bonk him lightly on the head with whatever book she was currently reading, causing the blonde to chuckle. The two talked a bit, just simple tales of the past. Nami would speak of her most daring acts of thievery against infamous pirates and Naruto would tell goofy stories of his times with Ivankov and Kuma and the trouble he got in. By the end of the day, as the sun began to set and after the two had eaten dinner, it would appear to most that the two had been friends for quite some time—not two strangers who had only met each other the other day.

Nami shut the book she was reading as she stretched, stifling a yawn as she did. By now, the sun had sunk well below the horizon and the moon was standing proud in the night's sky, surrounded by stars. Naruto looked over at her, still in the chair he had been sitting in all day, "You should head to bed—it's getting late. Take the hammock again. I'm gonna stay up a bit longer."

Nami looked at Naruto, who had turned his attention back to the sea. Huffing, she marched over to the boy and grabbed him by the back of his tropical shirt, pulling him from the seat as she dragged him over to the cabin, ignoring his cries of protest.

"H-Hey, Nami, what gives?" Naruto called out in surprise as the girl threw open the door and dragged him over to the hammock. She grabbed the blanket and pillow with her free hand as she pushed Naruto onto the hammock with her other. As Naruto opened his mouth to speak again, she tossed the blank and pillow at his head, hitting him in the face and shutting him up. As Naruto pulled the blanket off his face, he was met with Nami's glare, her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Stupid…it's going to rain tonight, can't you tell?" Nami frowned, "I'm not letting you sleep outside again. You're taking the hammock, and that's that. I'll sleep in the chair at the desk."

Seeing no room for argument, Naruto allowed a small smile to slip onto his face, "Yes, ma'am. There's an extra pillow and blanket in the chest by the stern. Feel free to use them."

Nodding, Nami made her way out of the cabin and to the stern, where she quickly noticed the chest in the light of the moon, despite the attempts of multiple small black clouds to block out the light. Just as she was about to open the chest and search it for the promised blanket and pillow, Nami paused as she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the water's surface. Frowning, she rubbed her shoulder where her tattoo rested, marking her as a member of the Arlong Pirates.

Nami reached into her pocket and retrieved the poster, unfolding it and looking down at the paper—she had half a mind to just toss it into the ocean and forget all about it. Nami bit her lower lip as she thought back to her home, to her sister…she folded the paper back up and placed it back into her pocket, _'He's a pirate…he's a pirate…he's a pirate…'_

She quickly opened the chest and pulled out the pillow and blanket, closing it and walking back to the cabin. Just as she stepped inside, she heard a crack of thunder as rain began to pelt the ship. She made her way over to the chair and sat down, getting comfortable. She heard a whistle as she placed the blanket over herself and lifted her head to see Naruto looking out the porthole next to the hammock.

"Man, you really called it…it's pouring out there. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky when we came in here!" Naruto commented, "You must be one hell of a navigator to know the seas that well!"

Nami blushed slightly at the praise, "W-Well, I have to be…"

"You have to be?"

"It's my dream, after all," Nami nodded, smiling slightly, "I'm going to make a map of the whole world!"

Nami frowned as Naruto fell silent for a moment. Did he think her dream was stupid? Was he going to laugh about the idea of a girl like her traveling through the entire Grand Line? Nami was caught completely off-guard, however, when Naruto sat straight up, tossing his covers forward with an excited grin on his face.

"Really? That's awesome!" Naruto smiled, "When are you going to start? Have you already started?"

Nami blushed—no one had ever asked her about her dream like this before. Most had just laughed it off…

"W-Well, I already have a pretty good map of most of the East Blue, but I still have a lot to do before I complete my goal…" Nami answered, "What about you? What's your dream?"

Naruto grinned, "Do you know who Whitebeard is?"

"Who doesn't know who Whitebeard is?" Nami frowned, "Not only is he a Yonkou, but he's the strongest and most feared pirate in the world!"

Naruto nodded, "But he's also known as the 'World's Strongest Man'! That's my dream! To be the strongest!"

"Why do you want to be the strongest so badly?" Nami wondered aloud. Naruto gave a small, unreadable smile.

"A long time ago, I decided I was going to live for my precious people. But I wasn't strong enough to protect any of them—that's why I promised that I was going to become strong. I'm going to become the strongest and protect everyone I care about!" Naruto's voice was tired, but Nami noted that his eyes burned bright with a determined passion. Nami had to let out a small smile as she realized just how much like a kid Naruto really was sometimes.

"And to do that…" Nami trailed off as Naruto nodded.

"I'm going to defeat Whitebeard and take his title!"

"You're insane," Nami replied, "Whitebeard's impossible to beat in a one-on-one fight."

"I know, right? I'm a real idiot," Naruto laughed at himself, grinning, "But the only thing that separates idiots and geniuses is whether or not they succeed! If it's impossible, all I have to do is become strong enough until it is possible, right?"

Nami giggled, "I think it's a bit more complicated than that. But, if you say you can do it, I'm sure you can do it…if Whitebeard goes easy on you, I mean."

Naruto and Nami shared another laugh.

"Well, it's gonna be a big day tomorrow, so try and get a good night's sleep, Nami. Tomorrow, we finally hit Shells Town and I get my first lead on Luffy's whereabouts!" Naruto smiled, pulling his covers over him. As he yawned and shut his eyes, he gave a tired, "Good night."

"Good night…" Nami sighed. Reaching into her pocket, she clutched the folded poster tightly in her hand. Sighing once more, Nami pulled the covers around herself and shut her eyes in an attempt to get to sleep.

* * *

Shells Town was a small island, with the largest and most noticeable building being the huge Marine base stationed at the very top of the island's steep incline. Shells Town was itself built into the side of the island's steep cliffs, with the stone that had been cut from the side of the cliffs appearing to be used to build most of the houses and buildings that lined the town's cobblestone roads. To the town's credit, despite the main attraction being a military base, it still managed to maintain a cozy, sleep small town feel that was only accentuated by the way the morning sun was hanging in the clear, nearly cloudless blue sky and the seagulls that chorused as they flew over the docks.

Naruto stretched as he leapt off his boat and onto dry land, glancing around and taking in the city, "Hm…no one in sight. Something going on in town today? Well, regardless, someone in town has got to know something about Luffy."

As Nami stepped onto the docks, she gave a slight nod, silently agreeing with the blonde—the streets were completely empty and most if not all of the stores had signs with things like "Back in Fifteen Minutes" hanging on the doors, clearly hung up in a rush. Nami glanced at Naruto, who was still distracted at looking around, and at the prominent Marine base at the top of the hill. Nami resisted the urge to reach into her pocket and grip the paper inside.

'_He's just another pirate! Pirates are horrible, cruel people who only care about themselves! I hate pirates!' _Nami frowned, _'So why is it that I'm feeling so bad about this?'_

"—ami. Nami? Hello? Anyone in there?"

"Y-Yes?" Nami jumped, pulled from her thoughts as Naruto waved his hand in front of her face, a confused frown present on his. Sighing, Naruto scratched the back of his head, shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

"Man, you were really out of it there. I knew I should've let you take the hammock," Naruto's frown turned to a friendly grin as he outstretched his hand towards Nami, "I guess this is where we say goodbye then, Nami. Good luck on making your map of the world."

Nami gave a sad smile and shook his offered hand, "Take care of yourself, Naruto. Whenever you find him, try not to let Whitebeard kill you."

Naruto just chuckled and turned to start down the road, "Don't worry—I'm still good for another ten years at least before I kick the bucket. See ya around, Nami."

Nami bit her lip as she watched Naruto shove his hands in his pockets and start down the road that led from the docks into town. Nami was quickly realizing that this was where she had to make her choice—she could either let Naruto simply walk away and hope that she could eventually earn the money to save her home by herself or she could trick Naruto into going to the Marines with her and get more than enough money to save her home. Nami could feel her hands subconsciously ball into fists as her nails dug into her skin as Naruto began to get further and further away. It was either risk her home dying or Naruto, at best, being imprisoned for life.

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see Nami shifting her balance, a bit of an uncomfortable look on her face, "Something wrong, Nami?"

"Would you…would you mind if we stuck together a bit more—just for today?" Nami questioned, clasping her hands together and gazing at Naruto with a mix of sadness and resignation. Naruto blinked before a grin made it to his face again, as he motioned for the girl to come along with him.

"If you want to stick around for a bit, feel free to," Naruto answered. Naruto waited as Nami quickly caught up to him before the two began to search the town for anyone they could come ask about Luffy—however, the more and more they looked, the more and more apparent was that there was no one to find. Every shop, every road—they were all empty. Naruto frowned as they stepped onto the seventeenth empty path they had stumbled upon, giving a side-glance to his companion—Nami hadn't said a word since they started searching the town. She kept her gaze planted firmly on the ground as she walked next to him, a contemplative and far-off daze in her eyes.

"Oi, Nami."

Nami didn't answer.

Naruto stopped walking, "Nami? Are we doing this again? Really?"

Nami, not even noticing that Naruto had stopped, continued down the road mindlessly. Deciding enough was enough, Naruto grew a teasing grin on his face as he held out his hand. A small orb of water quickly appeared in it, which he quickly lobbed at the girl. As Nami walked along, lost in her thoughts, she let out a shriek as she felt a wet splash hit against the back of her head. As she quickly felt her hair get soaked and it began to drip onto her shoulders, Nami turned to give Naruto a fierce glare as she snarled at the blonde, who was currently throwing his head back in a laugh.

"What was that for?" Nami roared.

"You zoned out on me again. I was trying to tell you that I think we should check up at the Marine base for someone to help us out—I doubt they'd want to tell me a lot about Luffy, but it's got to be better than walking up and down these roads when this place is basically like a ghost town!"

Nami frowned, rubbing the back of her arm and returning her gaze to the ground, "The Marines…"

Another splash hit her head.

"What are you even hitting me with, you idiot?" Nami roared as she began to chase after the blonde, who ran towards the Marine base as he laughed. After Nami had caught up to Naruto, who had stopped and waited for her, and delivered a good smack to the back of the head, the two began to make their way to the base at a steady walking pace.

"So…you want to tell me what's bothering you? You're acting pretty weird…" Naruto spoke, hands in his pockets as they walked, "If you think I'm still planning on turning you in, don't worry about it. I haven't even thought of doing that since I untied you."

"It…It's not that! It's just—it's nothing…" Nami mumbled, flinching as she felt a pang of guilt crossed her features.

"…You know, if you wanted to keep traveling with me, I wouldn't mind it," Naruto said, causing Nami to look at him in surprise, "You've been out of it since we got here and I know we probably won't meet each other again after this. If you wanted to stick around, I could always use someone my age to talk to—believe me, I haven't had a friend my age in years!"

'_F-Friend?' _Nami really didn't know how to react to that—she only knew that, right now, she felt absolutely horrible, "T-That's n-not really it either…"

"Oh…"

Nami immediately began to kick herself mentally, "T-That's not what I meant! I m-mean, I wouldn't mind t-traveling with you either, I guess, it's just that—it's just that…"

Naruto chuckled, patting Nami on the back and giving her a reassuring grin, "Don't worry about it—I get it. It's nothing personal, but you got things you need to do. But at least smile a little, Nami—being with me isn't that horrible, is it?"

"…No, it isn't," Nami allowed a small, sad smile to slip onto her face as Naruto began to walk a few steps ahead of her. She reached into her pocket and gripped the poster inside, _'He's a pirate…he's a pirate…he's a pirate…'_

Nami's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach as she and Naruto approached the last hill before the gates of the Marine base would be before them. Nami shut her eyes tightly, repeating the mantra that she had been telling herself since yesterday in an attempt to lessen her guilt over the admittedly act of betrayal she was about to commit. Finally, the two made it to the top of the hill…and the back of a huge crowd of people that were swarming around the base, attempting to witness whatever was going on inside.

Naruto and Nami frowned in confusion and exchanged glances that clearly asked the other if they had any idea of what was going on. Seeing no other option, Naruto approached one of the people sticking out in the back of the crowd and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned around to look at Naruto, who gave a small smile and a wave, "Don't suppose you can fill me and my friend in on what's going on?"

"Eh? You mean you haven't heard? Morgan's gone and escaped from his cell after just a few nights of being in there! He ran down to town and got himself a hostage and now he's hold up in the Marine's training field demanding a getaway!"

"Morgan?" Naruto frowned.

"Ex-Captain Morgan of the Marines! He'd been running this town by abusing his power for years until that straw hat boy came and stopped him a few days ago!" the man barked, his anxiousness getting to him as he turned back to the crowd to try and see what was going on."

Nami stepped towards Naruto, "What's going on? What did he tell you?"

She received no answer.

"Naruto?" Nami stepped around to look at Naruto's face. Determination and anger burned in his eyes as his hands curled into fists. Before Nami could even utter another word, Naruto had begun to push his way into the crowd, quickly shoving his way to get to the front. Confused and surprised, Nami followed after him, struggling to make it through the large mob of people. As Naruto made his way through the crowed, as he got to the front of it, he was suddenly met with a wall of Marines that was keeping the crowd at bay. As Naruto tried to push through them, they blocked his way.

"I'm sorry, sir, but please step back. This is a delicate situation," one of the Marines spoke.

Just as Naruto was about to respond, a voice cried out louder than the crowd behind them. Naruto turned his head to the left to spot a crying woman, frantically calling to the Marines. The woman was one of average size and height, with her dark brunette hair tied back and her tears dripping onto the forest green dress she wore. Underneath her dress she wore a lighter green t-shirt, the sleeve of which she was currently using to try and dry her tears.

"Please! Just please save Rika!" she cried.

Naruto turned back to the Marine blocking his way, "…The hostage is a little girl?"

The Marine nodded, "That's why we need everyone cooperation to make this go as smoothly as possible."

"I see…then I can't afford to wait around for you guys. Sorry about this," Naruto's eyes widened just a split second as he finished his sentence. Half of the Marines dropped to the ground, passed out on the ground, much to the confusion of the other Marines. Their confusion gave Naruto the small window of opportunity he needed to quickly slip through the Marines. Nami caught up shortly after, but by then the Marines had reorganized, splitting into one group to keep the crowd back and another to move the unconscious Marines.

"Naruto! Come back!" Nami shouted as she ran up to the Marines, who immediately blocked her way, "Move! My friend just ran out there!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't let you through and we can't make any sudden movements to get your friend back without risking the life of the hostage!" the Marine spoke.

Meanwhile, out on the large training fields that Morgan had used as execution fields, Morgan growled in anger as he looked out across the fields. It had been hours—_hours—_and still they hadn't given him the escape he demanded. Clutched in his arm, the girl's crying was starting to get on his nerves as well. His arm twitched as he struggled to resist the urge to just kill the girl out of sheer annoyance to finally shut her up.

The girl glared up at him, tears welling in her eyes, "J-Just you wait! L-Luffy-nii is gonna come and beat you up again!"

'_Luffy…!' _Morgan snarled as he thought of the bratty teen that had beaten him the other day, knocking him from his well-earned status and power and sending him straight to the bottom. This entire thing was that stupid boy's fault. If he hadn't shown up, none of this would be happening and he would still be sitting in his office, relaxing as the town served his every order. Morgan growled a low, guttural growl, _'The second I get out of here, I'm tracking that brat down and killing the fucking runt!'_

Morgan glared down at the girl he had snatched up—a little brat from some crappy bar in town, "Not too likely, brat. The only thing that saved that kid's ass was his weird Akuma no Mi powers! There's no one else around for miles with an Akuma no Mi! You'd just better shut up and hope they're smart enough to let me go—I'm not a patient man and you're starting to push your luck!"

"Did I hear someone say 'Luffy'? What a coincidence! I was looking for someone who had seen him!"

Morgan raised his view to find a grinning blonde crossing the fields from the gate, hands in his pockets and a relaxed posture to match his tired pace. Naruto observed this "Morgan" as he approached him. The man was certainly tall, but was also nowhere near as tall as others Naruto had met. He had short, platinum blonde hair that stuck out with his dark tan and muscular form. He was dressed like one would expect an escaped criminal to dress like—a full, black-and-white striped bodysuit, complete with a tag number on his chest. His most notable features, however, was the axe embedded in his arm that took the place of one of his hands and the steel jaw that covered his chin.

"Who the hell are you? I wanted an escape boat, not a second hostage!" Morgan roared. Naruto's grin widened.

"Oh, scary…how about we make a switch?" Naruto proposed, gesturing between himself and the girl, Rika, "You let her go and I become your new hostage."

From the crowd, Nami's eyes widened as she watched the scene play out in front of her, suddenly feeling very fearful for Naruto as she caught a glimpse of what this Morgan fellow looked like. Her fear only doubled when she heard what Naruto had proposed, _'Naruto, please don't do something stupid!'_

"How's this sound instead? You freeze or I take the girl's head off!" Morgan bellowed as he raised his axe in front of the girl's face, who let out a scream of fear. Naruto indeed froze in place, holding his hands in the air like someone had pointed a gun at him. His grin never left his face.

"Alright, alright, don't lose your cool, big guy," Naruto replied, "Consider me frozen."

"You actually listen—you're smarter than those Marines out there, I see," Morgan gave a sick grin as he began to move towards Naruto, "They've been taking so long to meet my demands that I don't think they take me seriously. I was starting to think I'd have to cut off this brat's arm or something to get them to move, but taking a life is far more of a motivator. This girl's a far more effective hostage to keep alive than a nobody like you, though. Sorry about this, brat—you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. No hard feelings?"

Naruto smiled, "None at all…"

As Morgan got closer, he startled to chuckle darkly—Naruto never moved an inch. When he was finally within striking range, Morgan reeled his arm back, axe glistening in the sunlight. Naruto got an eyeful of the axe and whistled. Rika shut her eyes tightly, trembling as tears poured from her eyes. In the crowd, Nami's eyes widened as tears began to brim in her eyes, she trembled as she felt her breathe hitch in her throat. Cupping her hands around her mouth in hopes to make herself heard, Nami took a deep breath and yelled.

"RUN, NARUTO!" Nami screamed.

"Does anyone have a clear shot at Morgan?" one Marine yelled.

His answer came back instantly, "Not without risking the girl's life!"

Morgan swung. Rika screamed as Nami fell to her knees, tears pouring out of her eyes—Naruto's head was up in the air, liquid pouring from his open neck as it flew. Morgan laughed wildly, quickly turning his gaze to the Marines, who glared angry and heated glares at the man. Morgan grinned savagely, "I told you I wanted an escape boat! If you'd have hurried, I wouldn't have had to hurt a soul! Blame no but yourselves, you fucking fools!"

'…_Naruto! I'm sorry!' _Nami hid her face in her hands as she wept, shaking violently, _'He…He sacrificed his life for that little girl! Even though he was a pirate…even though I was about to turn him in to the Marines…even though he was so kind! Naruto!'_

"Good shot. That would've really killed a guy right there! Well, a normal guy, at least."

"WHAT?" Morgan roared. Nami's grief turned to confusion as she heard the familiar, taunting voice of Naruto drift over to her. She heard the crowd gasp and began to murmur amongst themselves, and Morgan's angry roar was impossible to miss. Raising her head, Nami opened her teary eyes…to find Naruto, his head still completely intact on his shoulders and still wearing a huge grin as Morgan looked at him in disbelieve. Nami wiped her tears from her eyes as she watched on incredulously, "W…What?"

Naruto's 'head' was about to hit the ground from when Morgan lobbed it off. As it did, it splashed into a puddle of water like an oversized water balloon. Morgan's anger spiked as he reeled back in realization, jumping away from the blonde as his body ached with déjà vu, "Akuma no Mi!"

Suddenly, Morgan felt Rika be lifted from his grip, which had loosened in his shock. Looking up, he found the girl being held gingerly in the air by a hand and arm made of crystal-clear water. Morgan growled as he traced the arm back to a small pool of water behind Naruto, which he could only assume the blonde left unnoticed as he was crossing the field. The hand carried Rika over to Naruto, where she was placed gently on the ground. Her tearstained eyes looked up at him like he was a superhero as he patted her head.

"Why don't you run back to your mom? I'm sure she's worried sick about you," Naruto spoke in a soft and gentle tone. The girl nodded and ran back to the line of Marines, who quickly ushered her back to her mother, who lifted her up in a tear-filled hug. Smiling at the scene, Naruto turned back to a seething Morgan.

"Well…no hard feelings, right?" Naruto grinned.

"You…You ate an Akuma no Mi?" Morgan roared, "You have another stupid power like that fucking straw hat brat?"

Naruto nodded, "I ate the Kōzui Kōzui no Mi—in other words, I'm a water man! This, in case you didn't figure it out already, means I can't be beat by normal means—you're finished, Morgan."

"S-Shut up! I'm 'Axe-Hand' Morgan! I won't lose to some punk!" Morgan roared, charging at the blonde. Naruto grinned and kneeled to the ground, laying the palms of his hands on the dusty ground of the field they stood on. As Morgan was just about to step over a puddle that had been left by the watery appendage that had saved Rika, Naruto spoke up, "_Kōzui Kōzui: Kanketsu Onsen (Flood-Flood: Geyser)_!"

As Morgan stepped over the puddle, the water laying there shot up a good ten feet into the air, taking the ex-Marine with it. The water struck him in his gut with tremendous force and pressure, driving blood and saliva from his mouth and forcing the air out of his lungs. Once the water stopped shooting up, Morgan dropped the ten feet back to the ground. As Morgan's back hit the ground, he felt an incredible pain rush through him. Weakly, Morgan shifted into a sitting position, glaring at Naruto and wiping away the trail of blood that dribbled from his mouth down his chin.

'_T…This is just water! S-So why does it feel like I've been hit by a damn train?' _Morgan growled as Naruto smirked at him.

"You know what I hate more than anything, Morgan?It's when someone like you, who's been trusted with power that you should use to protect others, takes advantage of it and uses it for their own dirty, greedy goals," Naruto spoke, a look of hatred coming in his eyes as he stared at Morgan, who was now back on his feet, "You're pathetic."

"I told you to shut up, you fucking brat!" Morgan yelled as he rushed forward, this time his eyes carefully watching the ground for any puddles. Naruto sighed, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, raising one hand above his head, his open palm facing the sky. Naruto closed his eyes in concentration as the water from his "decapitated head" behind him jumped to life, stretching and twisting. The water flew past Naruto's head in a tubular, twisting cylinder as tiny scales of water began to appear on the water's surface. At the front of the tube, a head began to take shape as Naruto's eyes shot open.

"_Kōzui Kōzui:__Suiryū_ _(Flood-Flood: Water Dragon)_!" Naruto shouted as the head of the water took the shape of a snarling dragon, mouth open wide. The dragon's slammed into Morgan, biting down on the man's chest with its powerful jaws as it once again lifted the man into the air. The dragon continued to fly forward with Morgan in its teeth before it slammed him roughly into the brick wall at the other end of the field, cracking the wall as Morgan was thrown against it before the man fell to the floor shortly afterwards. The dragon fell to the ground seconds after its job was finished, becoming just another puddle on the ground.

"I'm getting kind of tired of slapping you around, Morgan. Turn yourself into the Marines behind us and you'll come out of this in a lot less pain," Naruto muttered, cracking his knuckles. Morgan growled as he stood on his shaky legs. His eyes saw red as he gave an angry and ferocious battle cry as he charged forward at Naruto once more. Naruto gave the man a flat look, "We never learn, do we?"

In response, as he continued his charge, Morgan gripped the metal that attached his axe to his arm. Putting it as much pressure on it as he physically could, Morgan gave an insane cackle as he ripped the axe's blade from his arm. Morgan snarled like a wild animal as he reared back and threw the blade through the air towards the blonde, "I won't lose again, you fucking bastard! I WILL NOT LOSE AGAIN!"

Naruto, in turn, reared back his own arm, which turned completely clear as it became pure water. Punching forward, Naruto's arm stretched out like a river as his fist became the size of a grown man, flying across the field at rapid speeds. The fist of pure water met the twirling blade halfway across the field. As they collided, it quickly became obvious as to which was more powerful—the blade was knocked off course and clattered to the ground while the fist carried on to ram into Morgan, who flew back into the air, his prone form twirling before his back hit the ground, his steel jaw cracked and shattered and Morgan himself completely unconscious. Naruto retracted his arm back, where it returned to its normal coloring, and grinned as Marines rushed the field and ran to Morgan, placing the man once again under custody before rushing him to the infirmary.

"Don't think you can beat the guy who's going to be the strongest!" Naruto nodded to himself as he placed his hands back into his pockets, turning around and walking back to the cheering crowd behind him. Naruto grinned, reaching up to scratch the back of his head sheepishly as he heard the praise of the people of Shells Town. He's slightly embarrassed smile turned to a happy grin when he noticed Nami running onto the field towards him.

"Nami! Did you see that? I totally kicked that guy's a—"

Nami's fist met Naruto's face as she punched him to the ground. As he hit the ground, a dazed Naruto felt Nami grab him by the collar of his shirt as she began to shake him with an angry glare, her eyes still red and puffy from crying.

"You stupid, stupid, stupid idiot! I thought you had gotten yourself killed! Why didn't you tell me you could do those things? Why did you try and be a hero and scare me half to death?" Nami roared as she shook the boy, a few more tears falling from her eyes. As she stopped shaking him, Nami bowed her head as she trembled. She froze as she felt Naruto's arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight, comforting hug.

"Sorry, Nami, I guess I wasn't thinking. I told you I was an idiot, didn't I? When I get the chance to be the hero, there's nothing in the world that can stop me from rushing in," Naruto chuckled, "As for the Akuma no Mi stuff…well, you never asked."

Naruto laughed as he heard a muffled, "Idiot…"

* * *

"Eh? He left already?" Naruto cried in shock as he sat at the local bar. The mother of the girl he had save, Ririka, was busy behind the counter, washing a few mugs as she nodded. The bar was a nice little thing, cozy and warm, with a few tables that were currently completely packed with celebrating townsfolk, overjoyed at the fact that Morgan was now completely and utterly stopped. Rika was currently busy taking all the orders from the different customers—the mother and daughter had immediately made sure to invite the blonde for a free meal before he was eaten by the crowd and tossed into the air. By the time the townspeople had let Naruto go to explore the town for any possible leads to Luffy's whereabouts, it was already past sunset and the moon was shining in the skies—unsurprisingly, the late hour did little to stop the celebration.

"Luffy-san and Zoro-san left about three days ago. They didn't say where they were going," Ririka explained, "I can't believe you two actually know each other! This entire town owes you both so much!"

Naruto chuckled, waving off her thanks, "Don't mention it. I couldn't just sit back and let it happen."

"I'm guessing you won't be staying around then? You're going to be looking for Luffy-san," Ririka sighed, frowning as she turned to Naruto, "Even if you both are strong, you're still so young and the seas can be rough! Why don't you both just settle down here? Everyone would love to have you two."

"Sorry, Ririka-san, but Luffy and I are tied to the sea—we can't stop just yet," Naruto smiled wistfully, before sighing, "Still, he's making it such a pain to find him…I'm probably going to head out tonight to keep looking, actually. I can't let him make it to the Grand Line without me."

"Eh? You're leaving so soon?" Rika frowned as she walked up to Naruto.

Naruto smiled, patting the girl on the head, "Sorry, Rika-chan, but I have to find Luffy before he gets himself into trouble."

"Is your girlfriend coming with you?" Rika blinked, looking at Naruto with a curious gaze as she took a seat next to him at the counter. Naruto returned her confused look with one of his own.

"My girlfriend?" Naruto frowned.

Rika nodded, "That girl that hit you after the fight!"

Naruto blushed as he realized that she was referring to Nami, "N-No, Nami and I aren't like that!"

"Eh? But you two would make such a cute couple!" Rika pouted, causing Naruto to blush heavier and Ririka to giggle into her hand.

"Now, now, sweetie, don't tease Naruto-san too much," Ririka smiled, turning to Naruto, "Speaking of your friend, though, where is she? I haven't seen her since this morning…"

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her either…I should probably go look for her," Naruto stood from his seat and bid the two goodnight, who thanked him once more and returned the gesture. Naruto stepped out onto the streets and waved at the people, who began to cheer and greet him as he passed down the roads in search of Nami. As he passed what must have been an hour checking up and down the roads, Naruto eventually found himself at his boat, spotting a certain thief sitting on top of the cabin and looking at the stars. Hopping aboard, Naruto quickly sat down next to her.

"You're right, you know. It really does pass the time to just sit back and look at the stars…" Nami mumbled, "So then, this ship…"

"It's called the Revolver," Naruto explained, "From that seat I'm always in, I can pump water through it and into the tanks at the sides. From there, I just manipulate the pressure of the water and use it kind of like a rocket to push the ship through the water. The rudder has some of my water inside it—it's hollow, so I can just change the rudder at will. Don't laugh at the name, either—I bought this thing and modified it myself and the only way to get a good deal was to promise not to change the name. That old guy was such a pain in the ass to deal with…"

Nami blinked, looking around at the mentioned ship parts, "Wow…impressive. I didn't think you could do something like that."

Naruto grinned, "I told you, I'm not stupid—I'm just lazy and directionally-challenged."

"You said you were an idiot," Nami pointed out.

"There's a difference between being an idiot and being stupid!" Naruto nodded as if he had just stated some great secret of the universe while Nami gave him a flat stare that clearly showed she thought he was an even bigger idiot now. As she reached into her pocket and retrieved a piece of paper, she passed it to him. Naruto unfolded it and blinked as he noticed it was his bounty and poster. Tapping her hand against the roof of the cabin, Nami looked at Naruto expectantly.

"So, when were you going to tell me you were worth five-hundred million, 'Torrent of Rebellion' Naruto?" Nami questioned, "Want to tell me why a sweet, innocent girl like me got mixed up with a big bad pirate like you? What did you do to make the World Government want your head so badly?"

"It's more of the people I'm associated with that got me this bounty…" Naruto sighed, crumpling the paper and tossing it over his shoulder, "All in all, I've only really ever broken the law once, technically, and that was just a few days ago—totally justified in my opinion, too."

"You really expect me to believe you didn't do anything illegal to get a bounty like this?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Well, if I told you anything else, I'd be lying."

"…You really are an idiot, you know that? Fine, I'll buy it—for now. But if I ever find out that you lied to me, you're going to be paying me five-hundred million beli to make up for it!" Nami sighed, before turning to Naruto with a relaxed and excited smile on her face, "So, where are we headed to next?"

Naruto blinked, "Where are _we _headed next? You want to come with me?"

"Is the offer from earlier still standing?" Nami grinned. Naruto looked at Nami for a moment before matching her grin with one of his own.

"Damn right it is!" Naruto smiled, before sighing, "But I couldn't get any info on Luffy other than the fact that he was here a few days ago. I'm right back to square one. You know the waters better than I do, so why not pick a place yourself? Where do you want to go?"

Nami's grin widened, causing Naruto to sweat-drop as he noted the money-signs in Nami's eyes, "Well, if you're leaving it up to me, I say we hit up Orange Town! The Buggy Pirates are still docked there probably, but with you at my side, I can take all the treasure and while you beat the crap out of them!"

Naruto frowned, sweat-dropping once more, "Oi, it sounds like I'm doing most of the work here!"

Nami laughed, "Too bad! That's what you get for partnering with a no-good, greedy thief!"

"Well, as long as you don't mind teaming up with a lazy, good-for-nothing pirate, I guess I don't mind too much," Naruto replied, giving a laugh of his own. The two sat there on the roof, passing the time making small talk as they looked up at the stars. By morning, Shells Town would awake to find the Revolver had already left the docks with no signs that it had ever been there, other than a crumpled up paper resting on the docks that would have the town and Marines in shock—a 'Wanted' poster for one 'Torrent of Rebellion' Naruto, with a bounty of over five-hundred million beli.

* * *

Omake: Ivankov (Attempts) to Teach Naruto How to Read

Dragon slapped his forehead for the fifteenth time since he had walked down to witness the scene. Being an orphan and raised in a garbage dump, it stood to reason that Naruto had no form of education whatsoever, and he had thus tasked the job of educating the little blonde to his two most trusted comrades…he honestly hadn't thought it would go this poorly. Before him, in a tiny room on the ship that was being used as a makeshift classroom, Ivankov and Naruto were bickering with each other over just about the stupidest argument Dragon had heard in quite some time.

"You foolish little brat! You zink you know better zan I do?"

"Just tell me what it is already! Do you pronounce this 'what' or 'vat'?"

"Vat! Vat! It is pronounced 'vat', you imbecile!"

"So then it's 'vat'!"

"No, it's 'vat'!"

"I said that!"

"No, you said 'vat'! It is 'vat'!"

"I said 'vat'!"

"Zat is vhy you are wrong!"

"Wait, is it 'that' or 'zat'?"

"It is 'zat', you fool! Have you not been paying attention at all? Zey are 'vat' and 'zat'!"

"Alright, then they're 'vat' and 'zat'!"

"WRONG! Vat do you zink I have been trying to tell you zese past few hours!"

"Are you insane, you damn hag?"

"Vat you need a few good vhacks in ze skull!"

As the two continued to bicker, Dragon turned to Kuma, who was chuckling quietly at the sight before him, "From now on, you're teaching him how to read and write…"

* * *

But then who's on first? Is Hu on first? Yay! Old reference that no one will get, ftw! God, I feel dirty just using an abbreviation like 'ftw'…anyway, not as long as the last chapter, but only by about 1,000 words or so—still a decent chapter length if you ask me! Now, I will answer some questions that you guys seemed to have:

_Naruto Getting His Own Crew or Sailing With The Straw Hats? _Naruto is going to be sailing with the Straw Hats. As you can see from reading this chapter, however, that does not necessarily mean that I will be rehashing the story. Naruto and Nami both just completely skipped over meeting Luffy. Luffy doesn't have a navigator right now and who knows what else was altered just because of that. If you find it boring, I'm sorry, but the reason I did this was because I wanted Naruto to be able to interact with the Straw Hats and not a crew that I just pulled out of nowhere—because, honestly, I wouldn't know where to begin on having them do stuff other than follow in the Straw Hat's footsteps and join them on their adventures anyway. So, that's my explanation, anyway. Sorry if any of you are disappointed. But for those of you who did want to see the take where Naruto travels around on a different crew, then I highly recommend _Shinobi of the High Seas _by _Kenchi618. _You won't be disappointed.

_Can Naruto Still Drown? _From what I've seen, being dunked in seawater for Akuma no Mi users means that your powers go away and you have to really struggle and strain yourself to maintain them for even a slight moment and, regardless, you can't swim. This would mean that yes, Naruto can still drown, as seawater would take away his powers and just make him a normal guy who can't swim.

_What Type of Haki Can Naruto Use? _Haki and Naruto's skills with it will be explained more next chapter. Naruto has already shown that he can at least use Haoshoku Haki, though, and that's what he used to knock out the Marines in this chapter.

I'll be updating my other story next, but it may take a little bit longer. I have no power at my home or internet connection due to the recent storms. The only way I can type this is by coming to a house that my family is dog-sitting for, but that won't be for much longer. If I don't update within the month, however, please consider me dead and you may fight each other to the death for possession of my PS3! Until then, please review with feedback on the interactions between Naruto and Nami! Am I doing a good job setting up their relationship? Thank you and have a nice night!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece.


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